Nothing wrong with MMEA’s newly launched ship, says chief

Nothing wrong with MMEA’s newly launched ship, says chief

The agency's director-general says Offshore Patrol Vessel 1 is in good shape after it was stuck in a sideway tilt.

The tilting Offshore Patrol Vessel 1 returned to normal position after cables attached to both its sides were cut.
PETALING JAYA:
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has allayed concerns over the condition of a newly-launched vessel that was stuck in a sideway tilt.

The Offshore Patrol Vessel 1 was launched at the TH Heavy Engineering (THHE) yard in Port Klang on Monday, but videos of the tilting ship have been circulating on social media.

MMEA director-general Zubil Mat Som told FMT there was no issue with the vessel.

“The vessel is in a good condition,” he said and shared the latest picture of the ship docked near the yard.

THHE general manager Azizul Hanafee Zain said the incident happened as workers were cutting steel cables attached to the supporting structure underneath the ship.

“When the cables were cut on one side, it resulted in the ship being pulled towards the other side.

“We had expected this. The ship’s position returned to normal after all the cables were cut,” he said.

The vessel is expected to go through several tests and training sessions involving the crew for three months before being deployed to Beting Patinggi Ali in Sarawak in early 2023.

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