DSA 2024: LUNAS signs shipbuilding MOU with PT PAL

PT PAL Multi-Role Support Ship model on display at DSA 2024. (Janes/Vinod Kumar CV)

Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (LUNAS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Indonesian state shipbuilder PT PAL at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.

The MOU seeks to “explore future collaborations in shipbuilding projects, fostering knowledge sharing and technological advancements within the region”, said Azhar Jumaat, CEO of LUNAS, in his welcome speech at the event.

“Through this collaboration, LUNAS shipyard aims to leverage its expertise to contribute to the construction of new vessels, as well as enhancing the repair and modernisation capabilities of existing fleets,” he added.

LUNAS was formerly known as Boustead Naval Shipyard and has been contracted for Malaysia's five-vessel littoral combat ship (LCS) programme.

At the event, LUNAS' head of Corporate Strategy and Development Hanif Muhammad told Janes that the first LCS is 75% completed.

It is expected to go into the water for sea trials in mid-2024, he added. The commissioning is expected by 2026 and the remaining ships are to be delivered with a gap of eight months each.

The fifth and final LCS is expected to be delivered by 2029.

Boustead Naval Shipyard and PT PAL signed an MOU in 2016 to collaborate on building the Malaysian Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) in Indonesia if the former is selected for the contract. There has been no progress on this programme thus far.