Malaysia seeks to progress Tun Fatimah OPV project

The MMEA's Tun Fatimah-class OPV. (Janes/Vinod Kumar CV)

The Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a letter of intent (LOI) to local shipbuilder Shin Yang to complete the construction of two Tun Fatimah-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). The LOI was announced at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2025, which ended on 24 May.

The two OPVs that the Malaysian company will build under the preliminary agreement would comprise the vessels that have been partially constructed by the original Tun Fatimah-class contractor, THHE-Destini, a joint venture between TH Heavy Engineering (THHE) and Destini.

However, the three-vessel programme has experienced delays and financial difficulties, which prompted the government in late 2024 to terminate its contract with THHE-Destini.

THHE-Destini launched the first Tun Fatimah-class OPV, KM Tun Fatimah , in October 2022 and delivered this vessel to the MMEA in January 2024. An industry source told Janes that the second OPV is 75% complete and that the third OPV in the series is 50% complete.

An MMEA spokesperson told Janes that despite challenges in the programme, the government is committed to completing the construction of the two remaining vessels and that the government has allocated funding to support the project.

Negotiations over a contract to build the vessels are likely to ensue over the coming months.

The Tun Fatimah-class OPV has a length of 83 m, a beam of 13.7 m, a draught of 3.9 m, a speed of 20 kt, and a standard displacement of 1,890 tonnes. The vessels are operated by a crew of 46 personnel and feature a helicopter deck.