Malaysia to procure command vessel to replace offshore base

Tun Sharifah Rodziah , which was used by the Royal Malaysian Navy to enhance its rapid response capabilities in Sabah. (Royal Malaysian Navy)

Malaysia will procure a multi-purpose command platform (MPCP) vessel to replace the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN's) ageing offshore sea basing facility known as Tun Sharifah Rodziah.

The move is part of efforts to strengthen maritime security in waters off eastern Sabah, Malaysia's National Security Council (NSC) said on 15 June.

Tun Sharifah Rodziah is an offshore base repurposed from a decommissioned oil rig and located in the Celebes Sea to support operations in Malaysia's Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE).

The base was commissioned in 2015. The NSC said operations at the facility have ceased but it did not confirm whether it has been formally decommissioned.

To support the MPCP procurement, Malaysia has signed a memorandum of understanding with Türkiye under a government-to-government arrangement, the NSC added.

The agreement involves Türkiye's Secretariat of Defence Industry (SSB) and it is expected to form the basis for co-operation on the MPCP programme.

This co-operation could include technology transfer, local industrial participation, and the exchange of expertise between the two countries.

The MPCP will function as a mobile forward base capable of sustained deployment in maritime hotspots, the NSC said.

It is expected to be equipped with long-range surveillance radar and designed to operate unmanned systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned surface vessels.

The platform will also support a wide range of maritime enforcement missions, with rapid response capability enabling authorities to monitor and act against incursions, smuggling, and other transnational threats with greater speed and reach than was possible with a static installation, the NSC added.