The inaugural Tun Fatimah class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV1) has joined a fleet of 15 Maritime Vessels (KM) under the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for the West Force Maritime Exercise 2023, showcasing its capabilities. Admiral Maritime Datuk Hamid Mohd Amin, Director-General of Maritime Malaysia, highlighted that TH Heavy Engineering Berhad (THHE) is presently conducting sea trials for OPV1. The vessel is currently sailing in the vicinity of Penang alongside other ships. He emphasized that OPV1’s participation in this exercise aligns with the goal of fully assessing its capabilities before its official handover to Maritime Malaysia.
The sea trial phase, spanning four days from November 28th to December 1st, covers a distance of 630 nautical miles in the Malacca Strait from Port Klang to Langkawi Island. During an inspection aboard KM Pekan to oversee the readiness of all vessels and enforcement personnel involved in the West Force Maritime Exercise 2023, Admiral Datuk Hamid stated his expectation for all participating vessels to meet the desired standards. Additionally, this exercise aims to enhance the competencies of nearly 500 officers and members of Maritime Malaysia, preparing them for future real-world operational scenarios.
The Tun Fatimah class is an offshore patrol vessel built by the Malaysian company THHE-Destini with the assistance of Damen company from the Netherlands based on the design of the Damen 1800-class OPV vessel. The Damen 1800 OPV contract was awarded to THHE-Destini local company in early 2017. THHE-Destini is a joint venture between two local company which is THHE and the Bagan Datuk-class patrol vessel builder, Destini Berhad. The class is also known as the Damen 1800-class offshore patrol vessel and the class changed names after the first ship of the class, KM Tun Fatimah.
The Tun Fatimah class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) class has a length of 83 metres (272 ft 4 in), a beam of 13.7 metres (44 ft 11 in), and a draught of 3.75 metres (12 ft 4 in). She has a displacement of 1,890 tonnes and a speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). The main armament of the ship are one 1 × 30 mm Aselsan SMASH remote weapon system (RWS) and light defensive weapons such as 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns. She also has a complement of 46 crew. To fulfill the patrol duty, she also able to operate one medium-sized helicopter and one unmanned aerial vehicle. All ships will be named after female warriors of Malaysia.
