Lastunul , one of three Zborul (Tarantul I)-class corvettes, approved to undergo modernisation. (Romanian Navy)

The Romanian parliament has given the approval for the purchase of two new submarines and two second-hand minehunters for the Romanian Navy as well as modernisation of the service's corvettes, local media reported.

According to a report by Romania's national press agency Agerpres on 18 May, the Romanian parliament approved a request from the Ministry of National Defence for the procurement of two Scorpène-class conventionally powered diesel-electric submarines (SSKs) from French shipbuilder Naval Group. The programme is estimated at EUR2 billion (USD2.14 billion) and is expected to take place over a period of eight years.

The submarine procurement is intended to provide the Romanian Navy with improved anti-surface, anti-submarine, and intelligence-gathering capabilities, both in Romanian territorial waters and in international waters further afield.

Romania currently has one ‘Kilo'-class submarine, Delfinul , which has been out of service since 1995.

The Royal Malaysian Navy will operate a total of 19 fast interceptor craft built by local firm Gading Marine, following a second-batch order of 13 vessels. Four of the six vessels ordered in the first batch are pictured above. (Royal Malaysian Navy)

The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) will start taking deliveries of a second batch of 18 m fast interceptor craft (FIC) from local firm Gading Marine later in 2023, the company told Janes at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 in Malaysia, held from 23 to 27 May.

In April 2021 Gading Marine completed deliveries to the RMN of an initial batch of six FICs – known as G2000 Mk I vessels – under a USD19.5 million contract signed in 2020. In 2022 Gading Marine signed a follow-on contract with the RMN for 13 additional FICs. The value of the second-batch contract has not been disclosed.

ADSB's new 92 m corvette – a rendering of which is pictured above – is positioned to meet requirements in the Asia-Pacific. (ADSB)

Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) unveiled a model of a new 92 m corvette at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 held in Malaysia from 23 to 27 May.

Francesco Lo Monaco, ADSB's director of shipbuilding and engineering, told Janes that the new corvette is a multirole vessel equipped to perform a range of littoral and coastal missions and meet requirements of navies in the Asia-Pacific. He said the corvette can support surveillance capabilities across air, surface, and electronic warfare (EW) domains in the near-shore theatre.

The corvette features an in-house design by ADSB, work on which started in early 2022 and ended in the first quarter of 2023. The vessel has a modular design with hull structures made from high tensile steel. The corvette's superstructure features a welded marine grade aluminium alloy and is connected to the steel hull with bimetal joints to prevent electrolytic corrosion.