KUCHING: Sarawak will receive the first Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV 1) belonging to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) at the end of this month, as an effort to improve enforcement control of the country's waters, especially in the Borneo region.
MMEA deputy director-general (Operations) Vice Admiral (Maritime) Datuk Hamid Mohd Amin said in addition, two vessels, namely KM Marudu and KM Kimanis, will also be moved to Sarawak at the end of this year.
"We are expecting to receive OPV 1 on Nov 27, so we are planning to move this OPV to Sarawak, to be based in Kuching and placed under the Sarawak MMEA.
"This is to achieve our objective in determining our safety and preparedness, especially in the waters of Sarawak, because the waters of the state are rich in petroleum and marine resources,” he said in a press conference of the Perkasa Timur Maritime Exercise 2/2023 closing ceremony, at the Sarawak MMEA headquarters (Komtas), on Saturday (Nov 4).
According to him, currently, MMEA has moved two ships, KM Marlin and KM Tegas, to Sarawak for the same purpose, as well as part of the agency’s asset preparedness ahead of the Northeast Monsoon (MTL).
"We will receive two more patrol vessels from the friendly team, meaning from abroad, at the beginning of next year, and we plan to move one of them to Sarawak,” he said.
Commenting on the exercise conducted, Hamid said that it was carried out to prepare MMEA officers and members to face any maritime threat situation, focusing on the South China Sea on the west coast of Sabah and Sarawak.
A total of 652 officers and members of the MMEA, with the strength of 14 vessels, were involved in the exercise for a week, from Oct 28 until today, with locations ranging from Kota Kinabalu to Kuching. -Bernama
