RMN CNO Talks About MV Bunga Laurel On TV9 26/1/11 at 1030pm

To those who follow my blog, I hope you all receive this message in time to see the show.

Dzirhan Mahadzir - Defence Journalist Navy Chief will be on TV9 tonight at 1030PM to talk abt RMN in Gulf of Aden ops area.

Dzirhan Mahadzir - Defence Journalist Just to add, there will be exclusive footage of incident

Success Only Can Give You Accolades Eh?

Following their earlier success with the rescue of our own MV Bunga Laurel from Somalian pirates, this time laurels of accolade are being thrown towards the crew of BM 5, even by the same people who says the mission is a waste of public funds previously and by those who said that PASKAL were a bunch of cowards for not playing an obvious in the rescue of MISC's two cargo vessels a couple of years ago.

But yet do these people realise that not only the navy but members of the other arms of our armed forces sacrifice and risk their lives on a daily basis, against potential threats and adversaries as aptly stated in this article by Malaysian defence blogger, Asian Security Observer. These are the people who always ask why we should have a standing force of armed forces by asking who are the enemies who want we want to fight with. I hope this can open their hypocritical eyes that threats to our nation are omnipresent, and these people on a daily basis are every ready to meet the threats with potent force.

The Star Graphics

So please realise your calls and your criticism against our defence spending is not helping and will only make them impotent rather than a potent force. So it is quite right that the Defence Ministry attempts to make hay while the sun shines by expanding the expansion of Somalian piracy theater of operations by introducing another vessel, as I have advocated before.

January 22, 2011 20:31 PM

Defence Ministry Ready To Add On Ship For Protection

LABIS, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- The defence ministry is ready to provide another Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) ship to protect Malaysian merchant ships from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

"We can add another ship, as long as the MISC (Malaysian International Shipping Corporation) agrees to bear its operating costs," the minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said this when met during the Tenang by-election nomination process here Saturday.

He was asked to comment on the navy's auxiliary ship, Bunga Mas 5 (TLDM BM 5) which rescued the MT Bunga Laurel from being hijacked by Somali pirates in the gulf on Thursday.

The success (of the rescue operation), he said, demonstrated the RMN's ability to protect merchant ships plying the gulf -- a notorious hunting ground of the dreaded Somali pirates.

The minister said he was inundated with calls from his foreign counterparts who congratulated Malaysia on its achievement and hoped RMN's operation in the Gulf of Aden continued in the future.

The incident occured about 300 nautical miles east of Oman at 11.40pm, two hours after Bunga Mas 5 had escorted the tanker and another MISC liquefied natural gas carrier, MT Seri Balhaf, to a safe zone in the gulf.

The Bunga Laurel is a chemical tanker hired by the MISC to ferry lubricating oil and ethylene dichloride from the Middle East to Singapore.

The navy's Fennec attack helicopter launched from the Bunga Mas 5 was also involved in the operation by providing reconaissance and aerial cover.

Three pirates sustained injuries in the incident and were treated onboard the Bunga Mas 5.

-- BERNAMA

A Duck To Ride On.

The Malaccan DUCK's

It impressed me no less to see an amphibian truck typically called a duck, a legacy of the name of one of its enduring predecessor the DUKW, being successfully operated by a tourist company in Malacca during my recent visit there. Checking their website, I found that the truck is not a DUKW but actually a LARC V or Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton; which is an aluminium-hulled amphibious cargo vehicle capable of transporting 5 tons. It was developed in US during the 1950s, and is used in a variety of auxiliary roles to this day by no less than 5 National armed forces, and to my surprise by both the Philippines Marine and Singapore Combat Support Services Unit regionally.

The Singaporean LARC V

The Phillippines LARC V

That got me wondering why our own armed forces or security agency has not thought of this solution for our amphibious needs, if not the army or navy, at least the police or JPA3 Civil Defence agency should operate at least a squadron for use during our flooding season. We always complain that we do not have suitable transport to reach water logged areas, but the solution has been staring at our Powers-To-Be faces all this while. In the US the LARC V is undergoing SLEP as it has been found to be useful in emergency relief work, so should we not also consider this a viable solution. Don't la say that it will take a study tour to the States to decide on this, as it is already proven and operating locally. I have read that the Police managed to set a circumnavigation record with an amphibious RHIB on trial some time ago, but a RHIB will not have the capacity of this 5 ton Duck. Hopefully this post will get some brain juices working in someone working in our National Security Department. In any event, the Malaccan DUCK's should be made available for duty during a National emergency, but still this is a poor solution to an omnipresent threat.