Malaysian Submarine Maintenance Contract to Boustead DCNS
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Friday, April 10, 2015
The Malaysian government has signed a new contract with Boustead DCNS Naval Corporation (BDNC) for through-life support for the two 2000 type Scorpene submarines of the Royal Malaysian Navy, based at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
DCNS, the French naval company that is a partner in the joint venture business with Malaysia's Boustead Heavy Industries Corp., said the maintenance support contract was signed and will remain in force for a period of two years.
This new agreement makes it possible to extend the through-life support time for the two 2000 type Scorpène submarines currently in service before the beginning of their first major maintenance campaign. The Tunku Abdul Rahman should start its period of unavailability for major repair and overhaul (ROH) in November 2015 and the Tun Razak in June 2017.
The contract also covers the operation and maintenance of the industrial infrastructures dedicated to the maintenance of submarines berthed at the Sepanggar naval base of Kota Kinabalu as well as part of the procurement required to carry out future ROHs.
This cooperation with the Royal Malaysian Navy offers BDNC the opportunity to play an important role in helping Malaysia to maintain and develop a submarine force. These two DCNS products were delivered to the Royal Malaysian Navy respectively in January and October 2009.