History
In the 1990s the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) identified the need to replace the 30-year-old Vosper Thornycroft-built patrol boats then in use. After receiving approval from Malaysian Government, the RMN ran a competition for the design of the new class of patrol ships in 1996. The competition field was narrowed to submissions from the German Naval Group consortium, Australian Transfield Group, and British Shipyards Vosper Thornycroft and Yarrow Shipbuilders.
The German Naval Group consortium was declared the winner and a 5.35 billion Malaysian ringgit contract for six vessels was signed by the RMN and PSC-Naval Dockyard on September 5, 1998—a unit cost of RM891.67 million for one vessel. However, in a second contract signed in January 2007, another RM1.4 billion was added by the Government of Malaysia to complete the programme, increasing the total value of the contract to RM6.75 billion. Terms of the contract specified the local shipyard company PSC-Naval Dockyard as the prime contractor, with the German Naval Group as the main sub-contractor. The first two ships were to be built in Germany, with the remainder to be built by PSC-Naval Dockyard in Malaysia. PSC Naval Dockyard also signed a RM24 billion contract to build 27 additional vessels over a 10-year period, together with foreign partners led by Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
A contract for a further six improved "Second Generation Patrol Vessels" to be built at the same dockyard is projected under the Tenth Malaysia Plan. However, these new vessels will use a different and more capable design.
Read more about this topic: Kedah Class Offshore Patrol Vessel
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