Agosta Training Sub to be Brought Home in August

22 April 2011

Agosta submarine ex French submarine Ouessant (S623) decomissioned in 2001 and then used to train for RMN personnel (photo : Michel Floch)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Agosta submarine which was used to train Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) personnel in submarine operations in France will be brought home in August to be converted into a museum, RMN chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar.

He said the submarine could not be used for operations but would be converted into a museum piece to symbolise the progress made by RMN.

"It is a second-hand submarine we bought for training RMN personnel. Now that its services are no longer needed, it will be brought to the Lumut naval base in August," he told reporters here today.

The Agosta submarine was used as a training submarine for two Scorpene class submarines Malaysia bought from France namely the KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Abdul Razak, which were commissioned in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

On the KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Abdul Razak, Abdul Aziz said both the submarines were doing fine and operating at their optimum capacity.

"Having submarines in the open sea is great surveillance for our country," he said.

(Bernama)