Normal for navies to hold launch ceremonies for incomplete ships: ex-admiral

KUALA LUMPUR – It is not uncommon for navies around the world to hold launching ceremonies for warships prior to the completion of their construction, said former Royal Malaysian Navy chief Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin.

In a statement today, Kamarulzaman said he is compelled to clarify misconceptions over the launching ceremony of the first of six littoral combat ships (LCS) at Lumut Naval Yard in 2017, which has been making the rounds on social media after courting controversy recently.

He also stressed that ship launching and naming ceremonies taking place before a vessel was fully operational was a tradition practised by the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Kamarulzaman then said a similar ceremony was organised by the navy from the United Arab Emirates for an incomplete LCS ship that was built by French shipbuilder Naval Group, which was formerly known as DCNS.

“The supposed allegations that the LCS launching ceremony in 2017 in Lumut was done to lie to the public and confuse them is simply not true.

“In fact, I have to inform the public that the LCS1 (first ship) in the ceremony is authentic and not a dummy, and remains under construction (at the time). This includes the mast which was touted to be fake,” he said, adding that the navy’s reputation must be protected.

Kamarulzaman, who was the navy admiral at the time, was also present at the launching ceremony in question.

His statement comes after pictures of the ceremony were shared on social media, with several parties claiming that the ceremony manipulated the public into believing that the ship had been completed.

The launching ceremony was also mentioned in the recent Public Accounts Committee report, in which its chairman, Wong Kah Woh, revealed that the construction of the ship was 44% completed at the time of the event in 2017.

In previous media reports, Wong also noted that LC1’s mast during the launch was merely a decorative feature and not the real item, and had cost RM400,000 to construct. – The Vibes, August 10, 2022