Former container ship joins Malaysian Navy as auxiliary ship

Malaysian shipyard MISC Berhad, handed over the converted Naval Auxiliary Vessel Bunga Mas Lima 5 (BM5) to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) January 22.

Once a container ship, the Bunga Mas Lima 5 will now join the RMN’s current fleet that will be deployed to safeguard the safety of Malaysian waters.

A ceremony to commemorate the handing over of the vessel was held today at the RMN Kota Kinabalu Navy Base, Sabah and attended by representatives from MISC and the Navy.

Bunga Mas Lima, a 699 TEUs container ship was the first Malaysian vessel to be converted into an RMN auxiliary vessel and was tasked with escorting MISC ships sailing through the Gulf of Aden, a high-risk area with piracy activity.

The auxiliary was launched on June 1, 2009 and throughout her involvement in the RMN operation, codenamed Op Fajar, she safely escorted over 415 vessels of Malaysia’s strategic interest sailing through the Gulf of Aden and its adjacent area.

Yee Yang Chien, CEO of MISC, said: “MISC’s collaboration with the RMN to convert the Bunga Mas Lima into a Naval Auxiliary Vessel was a significant milestone for the company and set a bold precedent for the shipping industry.”

“The decision to modify our container ships into Naval Auxiliary Vessels was testament to MISC’s long-term commitment as responsible corporate citizen to improve the security of our vessels, support the RMN in its military operations and most importantly contribute towards the nation’s security. We would like to thank RMN for their support to MISC though all these years as it has helped us in assuring the security of our crew, cargo and assets.”

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