KA Tun Azizan moored on the Baram River in 2024 | |
History | |
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Malaysia | |
Namesake | Azizan Zainul Abidin |
Builder | Malaysian Marine and Heavy Engineering |
Launched | 1999 |
Identification |
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Status | In active service |
General characteristics | |
Type | Auxiliary multi-purpose support ship |
Displacement | 8719 tonnes |
Length | 102 m (335 ft) |
Beam | 22.7 m (74 ft) |
Draught | 5.7 m (19 ft) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 17.0 knots (31.5 km/h; 19.6 mph) |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 1 x Fennec AS555 or Super Lynx |
Aviation facilities |
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KA Tun Azizan is an auxiliary ship currently in service with Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). She was sponsored by local company Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) and transferred from Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad (MISC) to the RMN. Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE) then changes and modifies a used cargo vessel to be used as a forward operation base operated by the Royal Malaysian Navy in Sulu Sea, Lahad Datu, Sabah to support the operation of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM). Since its operation in July 2015, KA Tun Azizan has operated under the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) with the appointment of commanding officers absorbed as members of the RMN Volunteer Reserve Team. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Petronas, together with MISC Bhd and Malaysia Marine Heavy Engineering (MMHE), has converted Tun Azizan, a cargo vessel, into a mobile sea base ship with the necessary features to function as a long-term national security asset following the incident of armed group invasion in Kg Tanduo, Lahad Datu, Sabah on 12 February 2013.
In November 2014, Petronas led an initiative jointly with MMHE and MISC to convert a used cargo vessel for the Royal Malaysian Navy's use as a mobile forward operating base in Sabah. These facilities are the first in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. It can accommodate a total of 99 crew members and is equipped with accommodation, food storage, washing room, operating and communication room, powerhouse, air conditioning system as well as military equipment and infrastructure. Tun Azizan is also equipped with light canon and grenade launchers such as those on the other Malaysian navy auxiliary ships, Bunga Mas Lima (BM5) and Bunga Mas Enam (BM6). All features and equipment have been fitted according to the technical requirements of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM). [5]
The ship was constructed by Malaysian Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE) in Pasir Gudang, Johor and launched on 5 May 2015. She began operating as a Naval Base on 13 May 2015.
The Royal Malaysian Navy is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defence operations. RMN's area of operation consists of 603,210 square kilometers covering the country's coastal areas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). RMN also bears the responsibility of controlling the country's main Sea Lines of Communications (SLOC) such as the Straits of Malacca and the Straits of Singapore and also monitors national interests in areas with overlapping claims such as in Spratly.
Lahad Datu is the capital of the Lahad Datu District in the Dent Peninsula on Tawau Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 27,887 in 2010. The town is surrounded by stretches of cocoa and palm oil plantations. It is also an important timber exporting port. The town has an airport for domestic flights.
Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad is a Malaysian owned shipbuilding and heavy engineering industries company. It was formerly known as Malaysia Shipyard and Engineering Sdn Bhd. MHB has been long involved in oil and gas engineering and construction works.
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MISC Berhad was incorporated in 1968 as Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad and is the leading international shipping line of Malaysia. In September 2005, Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad adopted its present corporate identity and changed its name to MISC Berhad. Its main shareholder is Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), the national oil conglomerate of Malaysia. The principal business of the corporation consist of ship owning, ship operating, other shipping related activities, owning and operating of offshore floating facilities as well as marine repair, marine conversion and engineering and construction works. With a fleet of more than 120 vessels and a combined tonnage of more than 13,000,000 DWT.
Malaysian Maritime Academy is a maritime training academy with a 30 hectares campus located in Kuala Sungai Baru, Malacca, Malaysia which provides training for seagoing personnel. It was established in 1976 by MISC Berhad, International Shipping Carriers Hong Kong and the Malaysian Ministry of Transport as the MATES Foundation. In the beginning, only male cadets are enrolled into the academy.
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The Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE) is a security zone in the Malaysian state of Sabah that was launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on 25 March 2013 following persistent attacks by pirates and militants from the southern Philippines that occurred in the eastern part of Sabah especially after the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff. It includes the districts of Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau, which is neighbouring to the Philippines.
The Eastern Sabah Security Command(ESSCOM) is a Malaysian security area that covers 1,400 km of the east coast of Sabah from Kudat to Tawau. It was announced on 7 March 2013 by Musa Aman, the Sabah State Chief Minister. Its purpose is to strengthen maritime security in the eastern part of Sabah following the persistent attacks by pirates and militants in the southern Philippines especially after the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, while at the same time ensuring that trade and business activity are not affected. The ESSCOM headquarters and main bases is at Lahad Datu.
Tun Azizan bin Zainul Abidin was a Malaysian corporate figure and civil servant who was the former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Petronas. He was the father of Amir Hamzah Azizan, the Minister of Finance II, Senator and former CEO of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
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