During the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur from May 6 to 9, Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (LUNAS) marked a significant milestone by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Indonesian state shipbuilder PT PAL. The MOU signifies a strategic alliance aimed at exploring future ventures in shipbuilding projects while fostering knowledge exchange and technological advancements within the region. In his address at the event, Azhar Jumaat, CEO of LUNAS, highlighted the MOU’s objective of facilitating collaborations to propel shipbuilding capabilities forward. He emphasized LUNAS’ commitment to leveraging its expertise to bolster the construction of new vessels and to enhance the maintenance and modernization capabilities of existing fleets.
Formerly recognized as Boustead Naval Shipyard, LUNAS is currently engaged in Malaysia’s five-vessel littoral combat ship (LCS) program. According to Hanif Muhammad, Head of Corporate Strategy and Development at LUNAS, the first LCS is nearing completion, with 75% of the project accomplished. Anticipated sea trials are scheduled for mid-2024, with commissioning expected by 2026. Subsequent vessels are slated for delivery at intervals of eight months, culminating in the final LCS’s completion by 2029. Additionally, in 2016, an MOU between Boustead Naval Shipyard and PT PAL was signed to collaborate on the construction of the Malaysian Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) in Indonesia, contingent upon the former securing the contract.
The Makassar class is a class of South Korean-designed Landing Platform Dock. The lead ship is named after the city of Makassar in Sulawesi and built in Busan, South Korea. The ships were designed by Daesun Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. based on their earlier design of Tanjung Dalpele class that was sold to the Indonesian Navy. The Makassar Class LPDs are primarily deployed by the amphibious operation forces to transport equipment, cargo and military vehicles. The ships can also be used in humanitarian operations and natural disaster management. The first two ships are based on Tanjung Dalpele class LPD. The third and fourth units were converted to add command and control systems, 57mm gun and air defense systems. The modified Indonesian-built warships act as flagships. The design also incorporates semi-stealth technology.
Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS) is a shipbuilding company owned by Malaysia. This company is located in Lumut, Perak which is one of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) bases and has several other shipyards throughout Malaysia. The main business of LUNAS is the maintenance and manufacturing of ships as well as the construction of heavy engineering structures and offshore structures. This company operated in 1984 and was known as the Royal Malaysia Navy Dockyard. In 2005, this company to be taken over by Boustead Holdings and named as Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS). In 2024, BNS was fully taken over by the Government through the Ministry of Finance’s company Ocean Sunshine Sdn Bhd and rebranded as Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS). LUNAS has been contracted for Royal Malaysian Navy’s five-vessel Maharaja Lela-class frigate, also known as the littoral combat ship (LCS) programme.
