MISC Berhad has modified its container ship 'Bunga Mas Lima' to a naval auxiliary vessel for the purpose of escorting and protecting MISC's ships sailing through the Gulf of Aden.
The modification of the 'Bunga Mas Lima', a 699TEU containership was carried out by Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering, the heavy engineering arm of MISC.
The project was a collaboration between MISC, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and the National Security Council (NSC).
The project was undertaken following last year's hijacking of MISC's ships 'Bunga Melati Dua' and 'Bunga Melati 5' in the Gulf of Aden.
According to international law, an auxiliary ship is a ship other than a warship which is owned or under the ruling control of the military. It is operated by the government and thus, the ship is accorded sovereign immunity.
RMN auxiliary vessel 'Bunga Mas Lima', will be manned by MISC's personnel who had completed a training programme with RMN. The MISC crew, now with the roles as navy reservists, will be responsible for the navigation and maintenance of the vessel. Regular officers and men of RMN will also be onboard the vessel to carry out all security related operations.
