he Keel Laying Ceremony for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2) project was officiated by the Commander of the Navy, Admiral Datuk (Dr.) Zulhelmy bin Ithnain and witnessed by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defence, Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali at the Istanbul Shipyard, Turkiye today.
Keel laying is an important phase in the construction of the main structure of a ship. This ceremony is a tradition in the shipbuilding industry that marks the beginning of the connection of the main blocks of the ship at the shipyard. This ceremony is a continuation of the steel cutting ceremony that was carried out on 4 December 2024, marking the transition from the construction phase to the connection phase.
During the Malaysian delegation’s visit to Turkiye, a Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) Meeting was also held on 7 Apr 25, chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence together with representatives of the Company. This PMC is to monitor the management, administration, contract implementation and progress of the LMSB2 construction work. The company presented the progress of the work for the three ships and showed very encouraging progress for this project.
Based on current work progress, the LMSB2 ship is expected to be completed and launched in mid-2026 before being handed over to the RMN at the end of 2027.
Also present at the ceremony were delegations from the Ministry of Defence, representatives of the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2) Project Team and Mr. Bülent Soydal as Deputy General Manager of Savunma Teknolojileri Muhendislik (STM).