Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said some of the navy’s assets were more than 30 years old.
“The new ships are meant to replace worn-out assets and they are cost-effective. Some of our LMS ships are ineffective.
“Our fleet of 15 vessels have an average age of more than 30 years. The cost of their maintenance is going up,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to a question from Raime Unggi (Umno-Tenom), who wanted to know the reason for choosing LMS from China and the fate of the current vessels belonging to the navy.
Hishammuddin said the purchase of the LMS was significant as it is the first time the country had bought any defence asset from China.
Last week, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the purchase of four LMS for the navy after signing a memorandum of understanding with China.
Of the four, two would be built in China and the other two in Malaysia.
Hishammuddin said the ships would meet the needs of the defence sector.
“The construction of the ships would also involve transfer of technology,” he said, adding that it was crucial to upgrade the fleet as the country faced threats from non-state actors, such as the Islamic State.
“The vessels we have are ineffective, so we need the LMS which are more effective in patrolling our coastal waters,” Hishammuddin said.
He said the project was a joint venture involving China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co Ltd (CSOC) and Boustead Holdings Bhd. CSOC is an arm of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.
As for the older vessels in the navy’s fleet, Hishammuddin said the ships would be disposed of or destroyed in stages.
“We can sell it via tender, give it away, use it as metal scrap or use it for coastal reclamation work.
“We will see what is the most cost effective way to dispose of them,” he added.