PUTRAJAYA, January 9 – The government provided a loan injection amounting to RM152.6 million to ensure the completion of the first Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV 1) project owned by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Malaysian Maritime). The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, the OPV project was taken over by the Ministry of Finance from the Tabung Haji company Destini Sdn Bhd after it was found to be facing major problems.
“We had to give another form of injection of loan claims for this project to be completed and RM152.6 million in loans had to be provided,” he said at a press conference after chairing the cabinet meeting here on Wednesday. According to him, the first OPV is expected to be completed this year. Procurement matters by either the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) and the Ministry of Defense, which are very important for security, are not taken advantage of to the point of causing losses due to poor implementation.
“The first action must be to save and that the OPV is completed according to schedule and both do not let go of anyone who misused the power of wealth without investigation,” he said. Previously, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) called the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) to demand an explanation regarding the delay in OPV procurement.
APMM in a statement on 13 September 2022 informed that the three OPVs that the agency should have received in 2020 are still under construction. Malaysian Maritime Director General, Maritime Admiral Datuk Mohd Zubil Mat Som in the same statement said, the OPV vessel is being built by a local company, THHE Destini Sdn Bhd, which is located in Pulau Indah, Selangor.
