The commissioning ceremony was officiated by navy chief Mohd Reza Sany who also presented the Command Insignia to the commanding officer, Khairuddin Ahmad.

Reza said the KD Rencong is one of four LMS acquired as part of the navy’s 15-to-5 transformation plan to upgrade its fleet and create an efficient armada.

“The presence of KD Rencong, which will be based in Kota Kinabalu, I hope, will enhance the capabilities of the Eastern Fleet together with the three other LMSs namely KD Keris, KD Sundang and KD Badik,” he told reporters after the commissioning ceremony here today.

Construction on the KD Rencong began on Sept 19 in Wuhan, China before it set sail on Dec 21 last year to Malaysia, some 1,811 nautical miles away. It arrived at the Kota Kinabalu naval base on Dec 28.

The KD Rencong has a speed of up to 22 knots, measures 68m in length and 9.2m in width, and is capable of performing operations for a period of 15 days without the need to resupply.

Reza said the navy is planning to acquire a second batch of LMSs to expand the Navy’s assets.

“We expect the second batch of LMSs to be delivered this year or the next. We hope to be moving in this direction. We have not decided where to order them from yet, but this is the plan,” he added.