Showing posts with label EEZ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EEZ. Show all posts

Wednesday 6 July 2016

Upholding Freedom of Navigation in Troubled Waters And How The Chinese Stole The South China Sea

 


USS William P. Lawrence ( DDG-110 ), part of the John C. Stennis Strike Group,
 conducted the latest freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea
 on 10th May 2016. Seen here transiting the Pacific Ocean in a 2013 photo. USN



The Principle of Free Passage



In its simplest definition, freedom of navigation refers to the free movement of ships from country to country for the purpose of trade or other peaceful activities. It is the key principle governing global trade. Unfortunately, not every country grants vessels the basic right of free movement. Many impose restrictions to limit free navigation especially within their territorial waters.

Some like Peru and Nicaragua have excessive territorial claims, with boundaries extending to 200 nautical miles, far beyond the internationally agreed 12 nm limit. Others claim entire geographical zones as their internal waters, an example would be Libya with its stake on the Gulf of Sidra. However, all these excesses pale when compared to China with its claim on almost the entire South China Sea ( SCS ) as its sovereign territory. The arbitrary Nine-Dash Line drawn by China almost completely covers the whole SCS with the southern-most line very close to the Sarawak shore in East Malaysia. That point is some 900 nm from Hainan Island, the closest internationally recognised Chinese land mass.

Ignoring concurrent claims by other South East Asian nations bordering the South China Sea, China had also militerised  the entire area by garrisoning troops on reefs and by conducting regular patrols of the contested zone with naval and coast guard vessels. Foreign fishing vessels have been detained, survey ships exploring for oil have been harassed and even foreign warships have been warned to stay away from occupied areas. Skirmishes flare up very once in a while and have lead to fatalities, the most serious happened on Johnson South Reef in 1988 resulting in the death of 64 Vietnamese soldiers.

In the past two and a half years China had up the ante with the commencement of massive land reclamation at multiple reefs in the Spratly Islands creating artificial islands complete with infrastructure for long term military and civilian occupation.

Faced with such naked aggression and shameless land / sea grabbing, most of the smaller maritime nations around the SCS like Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, with the exception of the Philippines, have so far managed only muted responses. Nobody seems to have the courage to even verbally challenge China on its errant behavior. This could be because China is among the top trading partners for many of these countries and is also a military super power on the rise.

Not so for the United States. Although not party to any territorial claims in the SCS, the US have long held military and commercial interests in the South China Sea that would require guarantees of freedom of navigation for its ships and aircraft. After much hand wrangling and delays, the Obama administration had finally launched a Freedom of Navigation operation ( FONOP ) to the Spratly Islands to assert America's navigation rights against China's territorial claims. On 26th Oct 2015, amidst heightened tensions in the region, USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nm of Mischief Reef and Subi Reef. A Chinese destroyer shadowed the American warship but it was allowed to complete its mission without an incident. Needless to say, the operation generated worldwide attention and provoked angry Chinese respond.


A USAF B-52H Stratofortress, similar to those that overflew the Spratlys,
 takes off from Eielson AFB, Alaska for Ex. Northern Edge 2009. USAF Photo.



Less than two weeks later, on the night of 8th / 9th Nov, a pair of B-52H strategic bombers from Guam overflew the Spratly Islands though never closer to 15nm of Chinese claimed territorial waters. They were contacted by Chinese ground controllers but again were allowed to continue with their mission undeterred. That second American foray into the South China Sea generated just as much Chinese condemnation but considerably less media attention elsewhere.

On 30th Jan 2016, the USN conducted another FONOP in the South China Sea with the destroyer USS Wilbur Curtis which sailed to within 12nm of Triton Island of the Paracel group. Triton Island is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, and unlike the first FONOP which took place at a newly created artificial island, this was a location that China had occupied for more than forty years, since it seized control of the Paracels from South Vietnam in 1974.

The most recent mission occurred on 10th May when the destroyer USS William P. Lawrence sailed to within 12nm of Fiery Cross Reef of the Spratly Islands, where massive land reclamation and a 3000m airstrip had been built by China in the past year.

The United States is likely to continue such freedom of navigation passages periodically in the SCS unless claimant states to the disputes reefs and islands, primarily China, back down from their excessive sovereignty claims.



FONOPs in the South China Sea from the Sputnik News perspective.


Freedom of Navigation Operations



Since 1979 the US Government has established the Freedom of Navigation ( FON ) Program which is jointly administered by the Department of State and the Department of Defense and administered by the US Navy, to periodically challenge countries with excessive maritime claims through peaceful means. According to the US Department of State, the FON Program provides that the United States will exercise and assert its navigation and overflight rights and freedoms on a worldwide basis in a manner that is consistent with the balance of interests reflected in the Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention. It adopts a three prong approach which involves not only diplomatic representations and operational assertions by U.S. military units, but also bilateral and multilateral consultations with other governments in an effort to promote maritime stability and consistency with international law. It stresses the need for and obligation of all States to adhere to the customary international law rules and practices reflected in the LOS Convention. The program has so far challenged more than 40 countries on their excessive maritime claims. The Department of Defense's list of FON annual reports from 1991 to 2014 can be found here.

Why are such FONOPs necessary in the SCS? Well its mainly because of the trillions of dollars of trade passing through the SCS annually that is potentially at stake. It is also a clash of two global powers, one incumbent and another newly minted who does not seem to know how to behave or what to do with its new found powers on the world stage.



The South China Sea


The South China Sea, an area of open water in the Western Pacific Rim spanning some 3.5 million square kilometers in size, is home to several historically uninhabited island groups comprising mainly of small islands, rocks and reefs that have long been the subjects of dispute in sovereignty, many with overlapping claims by several nations at the same time.



The South China Sea ( purple area ) and surrounding land masses.
Source US EIA


It is one of the most important energy trade routes in the world. Strategically, it could not have been more significant that almost a third of the global sea-borne crude oil and about half the global liquefied Natural Gas ( LNG ) passes through the South China Sea each year.

It is also one of the most important international shipping route with more than half the world's annual merchant fleet tonnage worth an estimated 5.3 trillion US Dollars passing through it yearly. By some reckoning its importance surpasses even those of the Suez and Panama Canals combined.



Energy Trade Choke Point : Some 15 million barrels of crude
passed through the Straits of Malacca daily ( 2011 estimates ),
most would continue through the South China Sea to East Asia.
About 1.4 million barrels end up in refineries in Singapore and Malaysia
after which most of the refined petroleum products would
 still continue their way through the SCS. For comparison,
in 2011 17 million barrels passed through the Persian Gulf daily
and the world consumption was 88 million barrels daily. US EIA


Liquefied natural gas trade passing through the SCS largely mirrors that for
crude oil. This 2011 estimate by US EIA. 


Even though in their original state many of the disputed territories are small atolls or merely rock outcrops or semi-submerged reefs unsuitable for sustained human habitation, maritime nations surrounding the South China Sea declare ownership of those tiny parcels of land simply to lay claim to the surrounding seas and its natural resources. Based on a US Geological Survey ( USGS ) study conducted in 2010, the US Energy Information Administration ( EIA ) estimated that there could be 11 billion barrels of oil reserves and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in proven and probable reserves. As the USGS assessment did not cover the entire region ( for obvious reasons, think China occupied territories ), undiscovered resources could be greater. In fact, in 2012 the Chinese National Offshore Oil Company ( CNOOC ) had unverified estimates of 125 billion barrels of oil and 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas for the region. And we have not even mentioned anything about fisheries yet.


EIA estimates of proven and probable oil reserves in the South China Sea
based on USGS assessment in 2010. Notice that most significant deposits
( darker brown areas ) are ironically in uncontested or less disputed zones!?
Data could be biased as hotly disputed areas are
less likely to be thoroughly explored!! US EIA 

Some of the major island groups and features in the South China Sea.


The Ambiguous Nine Dash Line And China's Excessive Territorial / Maritime Claims



China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own territory, a large chunk of the 3.5 million square kilometers of open seas and numerous reefs and islands. The claim is largely historical based which is generally not provided for under international agreements like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

It all started in May 2009 when China communicated two Notes Verbales to the United Nations Secretary General objecting to Vietnam and Malaysia's joint and individual submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. It stated " China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and the adjacent waters, and enjoys sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters as well as the seabed and subsoil thereof. The above position is consistently held by the Chinese government, and is widely known by the international community. "

Widely known, mostly by poor nations that have been bought or bribed by China, like Cambodia, Laos, Zimbabwe, Sudan and other Banana Republics.

 
The ambiguous Nine Dash Map in China's 2009
Notes Verbales to the UN.
Source : US Department of State



That attached map ( shown above ), contained nine dashes that encircle islands, waters and other features of the South China Sea, encompassing some 2 million square kilometers of maritime space, equivalent to about 22% of China's land area. The dashes were by all intent and purposes hand drawn for all we know, since China had not published precise geographical co-ordinates for their positions. As we can easily see for ourselves, the dashes are not uniformly distributed. They are separated from one another by distances between 107nm to 274nm. Another striking feature about those darn dashes is that they are all extremely far away from the internationally recognized coastline of China but very near those of the littoral states around the SCS. For example the southernmost dash is approximately 900nm from Hainan Island, China but a mere 24nm from the coast of Sarawak, Malaysia.

Worse, even the positions and numbers of those goddamned dashes are not fixed. The 2009 map with 9 dashes was believed to have originated from a map published by the Republic of China in 1947 entitled " Map of South China Sea Islands " in which there were 11 arbitrary dashes. The next thing we knew, China added the 10th dash to a location east of Taiwan in 2013! How ridiculous could China be?

 
 
From 11 to 9 : Comparing the dashes between the 1947 and
 the 2009 maps. The dashes were not numbered in the original maps.
The tenth red dash appeared from 2013 onwards.
 Source : US Department of State


Comparing Chinese maps published over the years, it is also obvious that the locations of the dash lines are not fixed or precise and could vary by many miles.


Shifting Dash : Lack of consistency between old and new maps.
 Source : US Department of State


Not only did China fail to provide an exact and consistent geographical location to the boundaries of its claims, it also failed to clarify its position with regards to its maritime claims. For land claims China had made it very clear that it claims sovereignty over all the islands within the dash lines in the SCS. Its maritime claims could however be interpreted in several different ways, all with flawed logic :

The dash lines as a claim to the islands, since it is not unusual to draw lines at sea on a map as an efficient and practical way to identify islands or groups of islands. That since China has sovereignty over the islands, it will be entitled to the usual territorial waters and the adjoining EEZ under the provision of the Law of the Sea. Problem was all those islands have disputed sovereignty and also China has yet to indicate which of those SCS features are islands and which are submerged structures and rocks which are not entitled to territorial waters and EEZ privileges. It has also been actively converting submerged reefs and low tide elevations into artificial islands to further complicate matters.

The dashes indicate China's national boundaries. Indeed most recently publish Chinese maps use the symbol for national or international boundary no different from those indicating land borders to depict the dash lines in the SCS. The issue here is that international boundaries has to be established with the agreement of all parties involved and should not be unilaterally imposed or decided.

The dashes may indicate a historical claim, as China had in 2011 issued another Notes Verbales reiterating its words regarding sovereignty of the islands but added the claims were " supported by abundant historical and legal evidence ". So it will be a somewhat lesser claim based on historical grounds that Chinese fishermen and tradesmen had plied these oceans for centuries, but so had the peoples of the littoral states around the SCS!

So, whichever way it is, apart from what it is already entitled to under the Law of the Sea based on its mainland and Hainan Island coastlines, China's claim to ANYTHING in the SCS, be it islands, rocks, reefs or maritime territories is without legal basis, unwarranted and totally uncalled for, especially from an aspiring global power.


Some Simple Maritime Definitions



The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS ) is an international agreement which defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources. It was the result of the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea which took place between 1973 and 1982. Because under the UNCLOS treaty different geological features carry with them differing legal rights and connotations, it is important to have a preset definition for each and everyone of them. Here goes :



UNCLOS Maritime and Airspace Zones illustration by Filipino
maritime law experts Prof. Jay Batangbacal and
Aileen S.P. Baviera PhD of the University of the Philippines.  




Baseline :  The low-water line along the coast as marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal state. It forms the basis by which the various maritime zones are demarcated.

Internal Waters : All enclosed bodies of water like lakes and rivers landward of the coastal baseline where the state has complete sovereignty. Right of innocent passage is not allowed. However, "archipelagic waters" within the outermost islands of archipelagic states like the Philippines or Indonesia is also considered internal waters and are treated as such with the exception that innocent passage has to be allowed but the state could designate certain sea lanes through these waters.

Coastal Waters : Up to 3 nautical miles ( nm ) from the baseline of a coastal state. Traditionally, this was roughly the furthest reach of a shore battery.

Territorial Sea : Up to 12 nm from baseline. The coastal state has sovereignty and jurisdiction over the water and airspace above it. Innocent passage is allowed only for surface vessels but does not extend to the national airspace above.

Contiguous Zone : Waters extending from the outer limit of the territorial waters from 12nm up to 24 nm from the coastal baseline. A state can exert limited control for the purpose of preventing or punishing infringements of its customs, immigration, fiscal or other laws and regulations within its territorial seas.

Exclusive Economic Zone : Extends from the outer limit of the territorial sea ( 12 nm from the baseline ) up to 200 nm. The coastal nation has control of all economic resources within its EEZ including fishing, mining, oil exploration and any pollution of those resources. The airspace above an EEZ is considered international.

Continental Shelf : Extends to the outer edge of the continental margin and at the least 200 nm from the baseline if the continental margin does not extend that far. The outer limit is set at 350 nm from the baseline or not more than 100 nm from the 2500m isobath ( the line connecting the seabed which are at the depth of 2500m ). A coastal nation has control of all resources on or under its continental shelf, living or not, but has no control over any living organisms above the shelf beyond its EEZ.



Terrestrial Features and Their Implied Legal Entitlements



There are 3 main types of terrestrial objects are involved in maritime disputes and they again have different entitlements accorded.

Island : A naturally formed land mass that is permanently above water that can sustain human habitation or economic life on its own. It's entitlement includes territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ and continental shelf.

Rock : A land mass that is permanently above water but unable to sustain human habitation or economic life on its own. For example, no topsoil or lack of a permanent source of fresh water. It is entitled to a territorial sea and a contiguous zone but has no rights to an exclusive economic zone or a continental shelf. Johnson South, Cuarteron and Fiery Cross Reefs of the Spratly Chain were considered rocks in their natural states.

Low Tide Elevation : An area of land which is surrounded by and above water at low tide but submerged at high tide. They maybe used as a basepoint for the calculation of maritime zones only if they lie within the 12nm territorial waters of an island or the mainland. Many of the disputed reefs in the Spratlys including Gaven Reef and Hughes Reef are included in this category. Mudflats, Shoals, sandbars and gravelbars belong here as well.

Note that artificially created islands have no legal provision for any form of entitlements under the Law of the Sea apart from a 500m safety zone and rightly so. Otherwise anybody can build an island or islands and start excluding others from its maritime zones just like that.



Island Creation



In dealing with the current situation in the SCS, we have to examine another issue and that is the creation of islands. The phenomenon of island creation at locations where there were previously none is nothing new. Mother Nature has done it on a constant basis ever since the formation of our Earth. They come in the form of new volcanic islands forged by tectonic forces from deep under the mantle of the Earth. A recent example would be the new island Niijima which was created when an undersea volcano erupted next to Nishinoshima Island, part of Japan's Ogasawara Island Chain ( 小笠原群島 ), in Nov 2013.



By the time this image was acquired by the Operational Land Imager
of Landsat 8 on 21st Aug 2014, the newly created volcanic island Niijima
( Japanese 新島, literally New Island ) has long merged with its originally
 larger neighbor Nishinoshima ( Japanese 西之島, literally West Island ) 500m away.
The combined entity is still known as Nishinoshima,
albeit now much larger in size. Photo : NASA Earth Observatory



Plumes of volcanic gas and steam erupt from crater number 7 ( 第七火口)
in this aerial view of the merged volcanic islands Nishinoshima on 26th Aug 2014.
Nishinoshima belongs to the Ogasawara Island Chain of Japan located in
the Western Pacific about 1000km south of Tokyo. Photo : Japan Coast Guard 

 

The video above was taken on 20th Nov 2013 by the Japan Coast Guard a week after the emergence of the new volcanic island.



This video shows a cruise to Nishinoshima in 2016. Notice the elevation of the volcano above the sea level.


Even man-made islands are nothing new. Advancement in civil engineering has now enabled human beings to not only to reclaim land from the sea but also to build islands for a variety of purposes. Osaka's Kansai International Airport ( IATA : KIX ), one of Japan's busiest airports serving close to 20 million travelers annually, is entirely built on an artificially created island in the middle of Osaka Bay. Half a world away in the Persian Gulf, the United Arab Emirates had also build several artificial islands including the Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali in the shape of palm trees complete with trunk and fronds off the coast of Dubai to house the rich and the famous. Note that all these made-made islands are without exceptions all constructed near to land masses and are well within the 12 mile territorial waters of the host country that created them.



Aerial view of Osaka's Kansai International Airport seemingly floating
in the middle of Osaka Bay. It lies 4 nm west of the coast of Rinku Town,
famous among tourists for its Premium Outlets. Wikipedia



A multitude of artificial islands off the coast of Dubai,
the United Arab Emirates with shapes resembling the planets,
the Earth, the sun and of course palm trees. Wikipedia


What's new and different now is China constructing artificial islands above oceanic reefs that are barely above sea level during low tide, reefs that are located in waters thus far recognized by all other nations as international, reefs that have their sovereign status in dispute, sometimes among several maritime nations in the vicinity.



Illegal Land Reclamation And Artificial Island Construction 



Over the past two and a half years, large scale dredging and land reclamation works had been carried out by Chinese ships and construction crews at various reefs of the Spratly Islands including Cuarteron Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, Gaven Reef, Hughes Reef, Johnson Reef, Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, Sand Cay and West Reef in blatant disregard for international law. Their illegal activities are closely supported by the presence of numerous People's Liberation Army ( Navy ) ( PLAN ) warships as well as the Chinese Coast Guard ships.


Map of the Spratly Islands ( 1995 ). Source : University of Texas Library 



Access channels to the reefs are dredged and deepened so that dredgers and supply ships can move in close to shore. When sufficient land had been reclaimed, permanent shore facilities like living quarters, communications infrastructure, radar facilities, lighthouses, wharves and jetties, helicopter landing pads and even airstrips have been constructed on the bigger islands.

From here, it would not be too hard to imagine gun and missile emplacements on the artificial islands to guard against foreign ships and aircraft.

From the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative ( AMTI ) website, these satellite and aerial photographs tell a hallowing tale of how China had unlawfully transformed a series of idyllic south seas reefs into ugly, polluting man-made concrete islands within a short span of time.


Cuarteron Reef


Cuarteron Reef is a coral outcropping located at the western side of the Spratly Islands. It is China's southern-most and western-most garrisoned outpost in the South China Sea. The reef previously held just a concrete supply platform sticking out of the sea with communications and radar equipment. Since March 2014, or end 2013 according to the Chinese Wikipedia, China has reclaimed some 26000 square metres of land and the process is still ongoing, converting the reef into an island with multiple support buildings including a lighthouse which started operating in Oct 2015.




Cuarteron Reef as it appeared on 14th Jan 2014. The small concrete supply platform
can be seen in the middle of the reef slightly off-center to the left.
The entire reef proper is approximately 5km across. Source : AMTI



A magnified view of the original supply platform at Cuarteron Reef 14th Jan 2014.
Source : AMTI



Cuarteron Reef as it appeared on 24th Sep 2014.
An island had appeared where there was none, complete with an access channel.
The waters around the reef looked murky probably from sediments
stirred up by the dredging and construction. Source AMTI.



An enlarged view of the artificial island at Cuarteron Reef 24th Sep 2014.
Multiple shore structures are being constructed. Source AMTI 



Aerial view of the ongoing island creation at Cuarteron Reef
15th Nov 2014. Source : AMTI

 

Fiery Cross Reef


Fiery Cross Reef is located at the western side of the Spratly Islands and had been occupied by China since 1988 under the guise of a UNESCO sanctioned marine observation post. Reclamation works apparently started around Mar 2014 and with approximately 280000 square metres of land reclaimed, the reef has since been transformed into the third largest island in the Spratlys, after Mischief and Subi Reefs.

A 3125m long airstrip capable of taking all aircraft types of the PLAN and PLAAF, including the long range H-6 bomber, had been completed a few months ago, effectively converting the artificial island into an unsinkable aircraft carrier. In fact an article on the Chinese internet mil.news.sina.com.cn even compared and boasted about the lower cost of constructing an " island aircraft carrier " versus that of USS Harry S. Truman, an American Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier, inflation factored in.




Fiery Cross Reef with Chinese built and occupied
UNESCO Marine Observation Post at its southern tip in a photo
 dated 22nd Jan 2009. Source AMTI 



A magnified view of the Marine Observation Post at Fiery Cross Reef
22nd Jan 2009. Source AMTI





Large scale dredging and land reclamation permanently destroying the reef
and its surrounding pristine waters 18th Mar 2014. Source AMTI



By 3rd September 2015, land reclamation at Fiery Cross Reef is largely completed.
A 3125m long runway is clearly seen spanning the long axis of the artificial island.
Source AMTI



The original Marine Observation Post was preserved, probably so
that China can claim it is " merely " doing alteration and structural strengthening works
to pre-existing infrastructure. 3rd Sep 2015. Source AMTI




Mischief Reef


Located at the eastern side of the Spratly Islands, Mischief Reef was originally a low tide elevation with a lagoon. It lies well within the EEZ of the Philippines being only 129 miles from Palawan Island. The Chinese muscled their way into the reef in 1994, building structures they claim are for sheltering fishermen. That happened when the Philippines lost their power backing after they stupidly evicted the Americans following the volcanic eruption of Mt Pinatubo.

Since early 2015, land reclamation by the Chinese have added some 5580000 square metres of land mass to the reef making it the largest island in the Spratlys.




Mischief Reef in its pre-transformed state. Two tiny structures stood
 at the middle of the northern rim and at the southern access channel
to the lagoon. Source : AMTI
 



Mischief Reef in the early stages of land reclamation
with numerous ships and dredgers polluting the lagoon and surroundings.
Source : AMTI



Mischief Reef became the largest island in the Spratlys
after 5.52 square km of land was added. Source : AMTI



The original concrete platform at the northern rim of the lagoon.
Source AMTI





The original concrete platform at the southern rim of the lagoon in
the early stage of reclamation. Source AMTI



The same southern platform is currently part of a new island. Source AMTI



Ships piling sand on the northern lagoon rim. Source AMTI



A strip of land appearing along the northern rim of the
Mischief Reef lagoon. Source AMTI

 

Subi Reef


Subi Reef is located at the northern part of the Spratly Islands. Originally a low tide elevation with a lagoon, it had been occupied by the Chinese since 1988 when concrete platforms were erected on the reef. In Jan 2015 China began large scale land reclamation at Subi Reef and have so far added 3950000 square metres of land make Subi Reef the second largest island in the Spratlys.



Subi Reef as it appeared on 8th Jan 2014. Source : AMTI



Beginning of land reclamation at Subi Reef 26th Jan 2015. Source : AMTI



Artificial island taking shape at Subi Reef 5th Mar 2015. Source AMTI



More land appears at Subi Reef by 5th Jun 2015. Source AMTI



Close to 4 million sq metres of land created at Subi Reef
by 3rd Sep 2015. Source AMTI


Active land reclamation and island creation by China is occurring at several other reefs in the Spratlys but I think we have seen enough evidence from just the four reefs above. These illegal large scale modification of the environment destroyed marine habitats and had most likely been done without any legitimate environmental impact studies. So the international community may never ever know exactly how much damage had been dealt to the eco-systems of the reefs.

Of course China did not just stop after creating these artificial islands. It had also built all sorts of infrastructures to support the continuous presence of both the military and the civilian population as we have seen in the photos above. It had actively promoted cruises and tours to the islands and had already tested its airstrip with the landing of civilian jetliners and military aircraft.


HQ-9 advance surface-to-air missile on mobile launcher. Wikipaedia



It had militarized the islands, with satellite imagery revealing that HQ-9 advance surface-to-air missile systems had been installed on Woody Island of the Paracel group in Feb 2016. The HQ-9 has a range of 200km and has a capability similar to the Patriot missile system of the US. The following month, reports indicate the YJ-62 advance anti-ship cruise missiles had also been deployed on Woody Island, potentially threatening ships within a 400km radius. All this events were taking place even though China's Premier Xi Jinpin had promised not to militarise the SCS. But this breaking of promises is nothing new to China. In 2002, it signed a joint declaration with the ten-member ASEAN states in which parties undertook to exercise " self-restrain " in the SCS and to refrain from occupying uninhabited structures such as reefs. That has all been thrown to the winds with China's recent island creation ventures. So China can never be trusted and its words are not worth the paper they are written on.

To make matters worst, China has been quietly subverting members of the ASEAN organization, courting members that are somewhat sympathetic to its course like Laos to forestall any joint declaration against its actions in the SCS. For the past few years, the ASEAN Defense Minister's Meeting Plus involving the 10 ASEAN members and 8 other nations including the US and China had been unable to come into consensus to issue a joint declaration regarding events in the SCS, largely due to the objections and interference of China. Member states probably worry about trade relations with China since China is the top trading partner for many ASEAN countries. ASEAN has become such an impotent organization that it risk becoming another United Nations.



Taking Over The South China Sea - In Three Generations Or Less




Historically, China's modus operandi was to patiently wait for an opportunity in the form of a power vacuum and then move in swiftly to displace an existing occupant. Once that was achieved, it would again lay low and wait for the international community to forget or lose interest about the original territorial seizure and then build up and naturalise its newly acquired territory by immigration and infusion of military troops.

Before and during WWII, the Chinese were having their hands full fighting the Japanese on the Chinese mainland. Shortly after the end of WWII, the Nationalist government then in power claimed the entire Paracel, Spratly and Pratas island groups from the surrendering Japanese and even occupied some of these islands from late 1946. In the civil war that followed, the Nationalists were defeated by the Communist and retreated to Taiwan Island where they founded the Republic of China in 1949. The Communists took control of the mainland and formed the People's Republic of China, also in 1949.

In the initial few years, communist China was probably too weak to exert any influence beyond its shores. Its navy was largely a riverine and coastal force comprising of torpedo boats, mine sweepers and fast attack crafts. However, with the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 signaling the end of French colonialism in Indochina, China began to occupy half the Paracel Islands, with South Vietnam occupying the other half.

The next decade saw US Forces backing the South Vietnamese government in their struggle against the communist north in what we now know as the Vietnam War. As the war progressed and the Americans started their gradual disengagement starting from 1973, China moved in and occupied some of the Paracel islands claimed by South Vietnam. In the ensuing Battle of the Paracel Islands in Jan 1974, the South Vietnamese forces were defeated and China gained complete control of the islands.

The Vietnam War ended in 1975 and with the withdrawal of the Americans came the Soviets. However, Soviet presence in Vietnam started to decline in the mid-eighties as the Cold War neared its end. So China began foraging into the Spratlys, with 14 islands ( but not the reefs and low tide elevations ) all already occupied by the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. It did so initially by stepping up its naval patrols, but by 1987 had tricked UNESCO scientists who were not quite politically savvy to allow it to build an oceanic observation post at Fiery Cross Reef. It then went on to build structures on several other reefs in the Spratly group.

In 1991, the eruption of Mt Pinatubo destroyed the American naval base at Subic Bay and also the nearby Clark Air Force Base, an unfortunate natural disaster. But what followed was the Philippine's refusal to allow anymore permanent US presence on their soil, a monumental manmade disaster. With the Americans gone, the Chinese started building structures at Mischief Reef of the Spratlys around 1994, ignoring the protests of the Philippines.

In the 2000s, Chinese naval and commercial fishing fleets are increasing encroaching on EEZ and even territorial waters south of the Spratlys. The fishing boats are frequently escorted by the Chinese Coast Guard, using vessels of monstrous dimensions.

By 2012, China had bullied and tricked the Philippines into giving up Scarborough Reef. During a standoff between the two navies at the reef, the US mediated to have both parties back down until a deal over the ownership of the reef could be reached. The Filipino forces complied and withdrew but Chinese reneged on their promises and never left, instead continuing to strengthen their presence and militarizing the shoal.

From Dec 2013, emboldened by its increasingly powerful Navy and Coast Guard, the Chinese have disregarded international opinions and started large scale dredging and land reclamation around many reefs and low tide elevations in the South China Sea, creating artificial islands where there were previously none.


These activities were nicely summed up by the Japanese MOD publication " China's Activities In The South China Sea " released in Dec 2015 ( see below ).



From the Japanese MOD Publication " China's Activities In The South China Sea "



Why FONOPs Are Necessary



China is rapidly progressing towards total military control of the South China Sea through its years of systematic occupation of the various island groups. With the completion of a 3000m paved airstrip on Fiery Cross Island right in the middle of the SCS, long range H-6 bombers with a strike range of 2000km and Su-27 Flanker type fighters could dominate the entire SCS and beyond, potentially denying sea and air access to other nations should it wish to, in military parlance, A2AD ( Anti-Access / Area Denial ). Once that was achievable, the next possible progression might be a declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone ( ADIZ ), just as China did over the East China Sea in 2013, unilaterally and without prior consultations with its neighbours or the international community.



From " China's Activities in the SCS " published 22nd Dec 2015 by Japan MOD


The United Nations is absolutely powerless to act against China's illegal activities in the SCS since China is a permanent member of the Security Council and could therefore veto anything against its interest.

The ten members of ASEAN together could have made their voices heard if only they could be united and speak as one. In reality, there exists lots of in-fighting and mistrust among member states resulting in an organization without bite.

Russia is in cahoots with China and doesn't give a damn as to what's happening in the SCS. In fact it is itself land grabbing in Europe with the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine.

The world is therefore left with the United States as only country that could interfere with China's ambitious moves in the SCS. It could be said that even such FONOPs are of not much use and had so far done nothing to change China's behavior, but it is a start. Critics even say that such activities might provoke the Chinese to intensify the militarization of the SCS. America should do more than just asserting its right of innocent passage but with an outgoing Lame Duck president and the uncertainty of a presidential election looming at the end of the year, don't expect US policies to change in any drastic manner anytime soon.

If other countries in the Pacific Rim like Australia, Japan, ASEAN and other littoral states around the SCS could conduct joint FONOPs with the USN, that may send a stronger message to China that its illegal activities are being scrutinized by the international community.


How To Tame A Dragon



Maybe all the claimants involved in the South China Sea maritime dispute should follow the example of the Philippines and take China to court. The ruling by Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague on the case brought about by the Philippines against China concerning among other things the legality of its Nine Dash Line claim will be due by next week on 12th Jul 2016. If there is anything China feared, it is probably an unfavorable outcome in an international legal court. It had refused to participate in the arbitration hearings and repeatedly said that it will not abide by the rulings. It tried all sorts of tricks to intimidate the Philippines, including scheduling a large scale military drill in the South China Sea from 5th to 11th Jul, closing off an entire area between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands. But on the quiet, it had approached the Philippines and said that it is ready to start negotiations on South China Sea-related issues including joint exploration of resources if the Manila were to ignore the arbitration rulings. Ignore the rulings? Then why bother to initiate the arbitration in the first place? That's by far the most absurd suggestion to come from China, and that's probably because they are already scared shitless just thinking about the possible outcome of the arbitration.

China knew very well that its actions in the South China Sea all these years were illegitimate and it is afraid of an international backlash and condemnation that will surely come should the Court of Arbitration rule against it. It had single-handedly triggered an unprecedented arms race across every country in East Asia and South East Asia in recent years that is still ongoing and maybe even accelerating. It is time to stop this madness.

A seismic change is about to come to the South China Sea this week, and I have the strongest premonition that China is not going to like it.


Latest


The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague had released its long awaited verdict on the Philippines vs China case yesterday ( 12th Jul 2016 ). Press release can be read here.

It had confirmed what most of us had already knew, that China's claims in the South China Sea is ILLIGAL and without basis and that its island factories had severely degraded the reef ecology of the SCS.

Though the rulings are legally binding for both parties involved, the PCA does not hold any enforcement powers. The World will be watching very closely what happens next.

Congratulations to Xi Jinping, you have just been officially bestowed the double titles of the World's foremost Big Bully and Petty Thief  by the United Nations. That is what the PCA verdict is essentially trying to say, in layman's terms.






Saturday 9 April 2016

Dude, Where's My Missile? Malaysia's New Generation Patrol Vessels



Corvettes Sans Missiles


Ever encountered modern day corvettes armed with guns only, no surface-to-air missiles, no anti-ship missiles? No, I am not talking about the Philippine Navy with its armada of end-of-life, end-of-type, hand-me-down vessels where you have Everything-Sans-Missiles. These poor Filipinos, poor in the literal sense, really have no financial means to equip their fleet any better and so have no choice but to make do with donated hardware most of the time. Rather, I am referring to Malaysia's Kedah-class corvettes built under the New Generation Patrol Vessel ( NGPV ) Project initiated in the nineties that had no missile systems installed, seemingly by choice! Strange, you might think, which modern war had been fought without the use of missiles? The world is increasingly gearing towards the use of precision guided munitions and stand-off munitions, half of which would be missiles of some sort, and someone decided to have a guns-only corvette? Incredible, but such strange things do happen in Malaysia. First, some background information.



Missiles? What missiles? Malaysian Kedah-class corvette FFL-175
KD Kelantan during Ex-SEACAT 2014. USN Photo


Where In The World Is Malaysia?


Malaysia is geographically located in South-East Asia with two land masses of roughly equal size, Peninsula Malaysia and East Malaysia, split apart by the South China Sea. It shares land and sea boarders with Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines and is a claimant to some of the islands with disputed ownership in the South China Sea. Peninsula Malaysia is strategically located as it is bound in the west by the Straits of Malacca and faces the South China Sea to the east, both being part of an important international maritime trade route linking Asia Pacific to the Middle-East and Europe where an estimated 5.3 trillion dollars worth of goods are shipped annually and where almost a third of the world's sea-borne crude and half the global LNG would pass through.

It has a total land area of 330803km2 and a population of 30 million comprising of a majority bumiputera or indigenous people, largely made up of Malays, and a smaller number of minority ethnic Chinese and Indians. It is rich in natural resources, counting rubber, tin, timber, oil and gas, palm oil as its top exports. Nominal per capita GDP for 2015 is estimated to be about $12127, not among the highest but not exactly poor either. Its economy had been growing at an average rate of 6.5% annually since it gained independence from the British in 1957. Its unit of currency is called the Malaysian Ringgit ( MYR ) and it is currently trading at MYR 4.01 to the Dollar. The annual defence budget for 2016 is about MYR 17.3 billion.



Geophysical location of the Federation of Malaysia.


A Brief History of The Royal Malaysian Navy



The Royal Malaysian Navy ( RMN ) is also known as the Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia ( TLDM ) in the Malay language and could trace its origins as far back as the year 1934 to the formation of the Straits Settlement Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve ( SSRNVR ) by the British colonial government in Singapore. Its main objective then was to assist the Royal Navy in the defence of Singapore and Peninsula Malaya against Japanese aggression. During World War II, after the fall of Singapore and Malaya, some of its members continued to serve with the Allied Forces in the Indo-Pacific theatres. The SSRNVR was disbanded after the War ended but were to be reactivated in 1948 during the Malayan Emergency years when communist insurgents fought the colonial government. Then known as the Malayan Naval Force, they operated out of Woodlands Naval Base in Singapore from 1951 onwards. For their exemplary service against the commies, the " Royal Malayan Navy " title was bestowed to the MNF by Queen Elizabeth II not long after her accession in 1952. By 1957, just five years later, Malaya would gain independence from the British and the " Royal " title was still kept but it now referred to the Malayan King, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, instead of HRH QEII.

The post-independence Royal Malayan Navy initially operated assets inherited / transferred from the British, mostly coastal minesweepers and minelayers converted into patrol crafts with an occasional light frigate or two thrown in. In 1963, Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo ( Sabah ) and Sarawak merged to form the Federation of Malaysia. The need to govern large swathe of maritime territories post-merger and the ensuing conflict with Indonesia, known as the Confrontation, due to the latter's objection in creation of Malaysia, would soon force the navy to embark on an unprecedented rapid expansion of capabilities and manpower.

Now taking on the new name of the Royal Malaysian Navy ( RMN ) to reflect the name of the newly created Federation, it acquired new equipment, including a large series of 103ft patrol crafts ( PC ) built by Vosper. High speed torpedo boats and bigger fast attack crafts ( FAC ) like the Jerung-class soon followed, and going with the fad of the seventies came the missile gunboats ( FAC-M ) like the Exocet armed Handalan-class and the Perdana-class. The RMN's capabilities were further enhanced when they acquired the Kasturi-class corvettes in the eighties and started the construction of a new major naval base in Lumut.  The Laksamana-class corvettes and Lekiu-class frigates were then acquired in the nineties by which time the RMN became one of the better equipped naval force in the region. By 1997, the RMN also ceased all operations from Woodlands Naval Base which they had occupied for more than 45 years, renting it from the Singapore government since 1965 when Singapore was booted out of the Malaysia Federation and gained independence.

In more recent times, the RMN bought Scorpene-class submarines and continued their efforts of force modernization with the New Generation Patrol Vessel ( NGPV ) project and the Second Generation Patrol Vessel ( SGPV ) project. These new assets are urgently needed as tensions in and around the South China Sea had escalated tremendously in just the past few years as China reiterated its claim on almost the entire South China Sea and adopted highly aggressive and controversial practices including the building of artificial islands.


Replacing the Vosper Patrol Crafts 



Malaysia's NGPV project was initiated in the early nineties with the objective of replacing the RMN's 18 ageing Sabah-class and Kris-class patrol craft. As mentioned earlier, these Vosper built boats were acquired in the sixties under a very different threat environment and have largely out-lived their usefulness by the turn of the century. They were all tiny, displacing just 96 tons standard and 109 tons fully loaded, with a length of 31m or 103ft. Hence they were also known as the Vosper 103ft Type Patrol Crafts and were hugely popular among small navies during their heyday. Qatar had six while Panama operated two but Malaysia by far had the largest fleet with at least twenty four, all ordered in the early or mid sixties in as many as three tranches.

Not only were they small, these PCs were also lightly armed with just two Bofors 40mm guns and perhaps another couple of 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine guns. They were constructed from pre-fabricated welded steel and were powered by two diesel engines which gave a maximum speed of about 25knots. Apart from the engine room, the entire boat is air-conditioned and can accommodate 20 personnel. They have limited range and endurance, said to be 1500nm at 14knots, and were suitable for not much else other than coastal patrols. Normally not venturing beyond 18nm from the coast, these workhorses would eventually be adapted for off-shore work once the 200nm exclusive economic zone ( EEZ ) concept was implemented after the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS III ) agreement.

The first batch of six Vosper PCs were ordered by the Royal Malayan Navy in 1961. They were built at Vosper's Plymouth yard and all were delivered by 1963 when tensions with Indonesia flared up over the newly created Malaysian Federation. The six PCs were named KD Sri Kedah, KD Sri Selangor, KD Sri Perak, KD Sri Pahang, KD Sri Kelantan and KD Sri Terengganu, after six Malaysian states. The KD prefix adorning all RMN ships is the abbreviation for Kapal DiRaja and could be translated as Ship of His Majesty. So this first tranche could be called the Kedah-class. They saw extensive action during the Confrontation with Indonesia in their early days but have all been decommissioned or stricken by the mid-nineties. Unfortunately the six new corvettes built under the NGPV project inherited exactly these six names and could easily be confused with the old Kedah-class patrol crafts.


The Straits Times report on KD Sri Kedah and Sri Selangor's
commissioning, 19th Jun 1963.
Source : National Library Board / Singapore Press Holdings

The Straits Times 28th May 1963.
This was how the first two Vosper PCs were delivered - onboard a cargo ship.
Later boats were brought to Singapore by teams of RMN
officers and ratings flown to the UK.
Source : National Library Board / Singapore Press Holdings
 


The second batch of four Vosper PCs were ordered probably in 1963 with all deliveries completed by Nov 1964. They were the KD Sri Sabah, KD Sri Sarawak, KD Sri Negri Sembelan and KD Sri Melaka, also referred to as the Sabah-class. They were also named after four other Malaysian states.

The third tranche of fourteen Vosper PCs were ordered by RMN in 1965 and were all delivered and commissioned by 1968. They differ slightly from the earlier tranches by having more powerful engines and better radar and navigation equipment. These were the Kris-class ( or Keris-class ) PCs.


Kris-class patrol craft P47 KD Sri Perlis. Photo : Wikipaedia


Kris-class patrol craft P49 KD Sri Johor. Photo : Wikipaedia


The 4 Sabah-class and the 14 Kris-class PCs remained operational in the RMN for more than four decades until they were decommissioned in 2004 and would be eventually replaced by the new NGPV corvettes starting in 2006. Of the 18 boats, 15 were transferred to the coast guard, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency ( MMEA ) and were re-named the Sipadan-class. They continue to patrol the waters off East Malaysia and are currently still listed has part of the MMEA's inventory on its website. The Vosper PC's days are already numbered and in 2014 five had been decommissioned by the MMEA and given to the Department of Marine Parks Malaysia to be sunk and used for creating artificial reefs at various locations all over Malaysia.

 
Re-incarnation as the Sipadan-class PC in Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency colours.
This is probably the ex-KD Sri Kedah which used to bear the pennant number P3138. Source : MMEA


Here's a summary of the RMN's Vosper PC fleet.


Patrol Craft  
Pennant
Launched
Decommission
Note
 
 
 
 
 
Sri Kedah
3138
1962
1975
? transferred to MMEA 
Sri Selangor
3139
1962/3
1995
 
Sri Perak
3140
1962/3
1984
Sunk in S. China Sea
Sri Pahang
3141
1962/3
1976
 
Sri Kelantan
3142
1962/3
1994
Donated to University
Sri Terengganu
3143
1962/3
1994
Naval Musuem Ship
 
 
 
 
 
Sri Sabah
3144
1963
2004?
 
Sri Sarawak
3145
1964
2004?
 
Sri Negri Sembelan
3146
1964
2004?
 
Sri Melaka
3147
1964
2004?
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kris
34
1966
2004?
 
Sundang
36
1966
2004?
Between 2005 and 2006
Badek
37
1966
2004?
15 Kris- & Sabah-class
Renchong
38
1966
2004?
PCs transferred to
Tombak
39
1966
2004?
MMEA & Renamed
Lembing
40?
1966
2004?
Sipadan-class
Serampang
41?
1966
2004?
 
Panah
42
1966
2004?
5 Sipadan-class PC
Kerambit
43
1966
2004?
Decommissioned in 2014
Baladau
44
1967
2004?
and transferred to
Kelewang
45
1967
2004?
Marine Parks Dept
Rentaka
46
1967
2004?
Sunk as artificial reefs.
Sri Perlis
47
1967
2004?
 
Sri Johor
49
1967
2004?
 


Some other notable facts about the Vosper PC.

On 8th Jan 1984, fresh out of dock from regular maintenance and while in transit from Lumut Naval Base to Labuan Naval Base in Sabah on a training voyage with the frigate F76 KD Hang Tuah and P3143 KD Sri Terengganu, the KD Sri Perak got separated from the group and sprang a leak from the forward hatch during a severe tropical storm in the South China Sea. The flooding was so severe that the ship soon lost all power and therefore radio communications. KD Sri Perak rapidly sank with the lost of 3 crew members. The remaining 26 survivors drifted in a raft for 3 days before being spotted by an AP-3C maritime patrol aircraft and were subsequently rescued. It was the first time a RMN vessel was lost at sea. The ship's captain was subsequently charged for negligence and failure to take appropriate damage control measures. Yet there were allegations that the yard work on the KD Sri Perak was not performed properly and the ship had a defective pump motor and was actually found to be unfit for sea ... the captain merely a scapegoat whose only crime was not to stand firm against the sailing orders, against the authority of the CO of the Fleet Maintenance Unit.

After its decommissioning in 1994, the KD Sri Terengganu had been restored by the Naval Dockyard Sdn. Bhd. at a cost of MYR160,000. It has been sitting pretty in downtown Melaka as a permanent display at the Naval Museum since 1996. 

KD Sri Terengganu on display next to the Naval Museum in Melaka.



The New Generation Patrol Vessel Project




The New Generation Patrol Vessel Project was originally RMN's ambitious undertaking to replace eighteen patrol boats with twenty seven offshore patrol vessels. This requirement probably arose in the early nineties, when the Vosper PCs had already seen continuous service for 25 to 30 years and were nearing the end of their useful life. The initial plans called for a OPV design that is about 80m in length and displacing 1300 tons, a size that is more typically associated with a corvette rather than an OPV. The total cost for the twenty seven ships to be acquired over a fifteen year period was estimated to be MYR24billion or about USD10billion in pre-1997 exchange rates, an obscene amount of money. If implemented in its entirety, it would have been Malaysia's biggest single defence acquisition ever.

A competition was carried out in 1996 and with such volumes involved, it was not surprising that many ship builders were vying for the project. The Australians, Germans and the British were all involved with the proposals. By 1997, it emerged that the MEKO 100 design submitted by the German Naval Group ( GNG ) Consortium lead by Blohm + Voss had been selected. It was surprisingly much bigger than expected with a length of 91m and a displacement of 1850 tons!

A contract was awarded to GNG and the local ship builder Penang Shipbuilding and Construction-Naval Dockyard Sdn. Bhd. ( PSC-ND ) in 1998 for an initial batch of six ships. The deal would involve the usual technology transfer and technical assistance with the first two hulls being built in Germany and fitted out in Malaysia. The remaining four ships will be built locally with modular kits provided by GNG / Blohm + Voss. All these arrangements looked good on paper but could PSC-ND deliver? PSC Who?


Model of the Kedah-class NGPV displayed at LIMA 2009. Source : Wikipaedia


Penang Shipbuilding and Construction - Naval Dockyard Scandal



PSC-ND has its origins as the RMN's dockyard facilities adjacent to Lumut Naval Base. The naval dockyard has modern facilities to meet the entire maintenance and repair needs of the RMN fleet, anything from hull repairs to major overhauls and refurbishment of combat systems. Under the direction of the Malaysian Government, it was to be corporatised as Limbungan TLDM ( RMN Shipyard ) a wholly-owned government company. This paved the way for its eventual acquisition by public listed company Penang Shipbuilding Corporation ( PSC ) Berhad, and the new entity was called Penang Shipbuilding and Construction-Naval Dockyard ( PSC-ND ).

Being appointed the main contractor for the NGPV project should have been an important milestone for PSC-ND, but the project was to be plagued by financial troubles and quality control issues. The first two ships were laid down in Nov and Dec 2001 and were launched in Mar and Oct 2003 respectively. They were supposed to be fitted out in Malaysia and soon it would emerge that the delivery date line for the first two NGPVs could not be met. The first hull could not even pass pre-delivery sea trials due to technical problems. But somehow, penalties for delays and late delivery were waived by the Malaysian Government!!? Where is the incentive to deliver on time if you know the penalties could be avoided? PSC-ND clearly had good connections at high places.

Further investigations uncovered serious corporate governance issues, financial mismanagement and corruption within PSC-ND. The chairman and director of PSC-ND Amin Shah was found to have been absent from many meetings of the board of directors. Some 40 sub-contractors involved in the NGPV project have been owed a total of MYR180million. PSC-ND also failed to remit up to MYR4million on behalf of its employees to the Employee's Provident Fund, despite having deducted the amount from their salaries .... . The entire project stalled and the Public Accounts Committee believed that an additional MYR120million had to be injected by the government to salvage the first two hulls and MYR80million more to pay off local vendors, sub-contractors and service providers. It had also been alleged that PSC-ND sort a further advancement of MYR1.8billion from the Malaysian Government to complete the project. Somebody did the calculations wrongly? Someone did not pay attention in mathematics class in school? More likely just rampant corruption!

Faced with such incredible and unprecedented incompetency, the Malaysian Government bowed to public pressure and intervened, forcing a complete revamp of PSC-ND. Another government linked company, Boustead Holdings Berhad, took up a large stake of PSC Industries ( PSCI ) Berhad, the parent company of PSC. The troubled PSC-ND, being a division of PSC, was then absorbed into Boustead Holding's heavy industries arm and became Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn. Bhd. With a complete change in the management, the NGPV project was revived and the first two OPV / corvettes were finally commissioned in 2006. Amin Shah, the millionaire entrepreneur linked to PSCI was eventually ousted as chairman and director of PSC-ND and made a bankrupt but never convicted of any wrong doings. Convicting him would probably implicate way tooooo many admirals and politicians as well, so its best to let sleeping dogs lie. He is said to have a vast business empire all over the world and had left the country after the scandal unfolded. Some Malaysian netizens even openly blame him for single-handedly causing the " downfall " of the RMN.



From Twenty Seven to Six!


The NGPV scandal not only delayed the completion of the first six ships, it also cost the RMN the subsequent twenty one ships and dashed its dream of becoming the naval power house of South East Asia as the Malaysian Government had been discouraged to make any further investments in the entire class of OPVs and cancelled the programme.

However, the real situation might not have been so bleak if we take into account the follow-on project known as the Second Generation Patrol Vessel ( SGPV ) Project which was initiated not long after the conclusion of the NGPV Project. Had it not been for the early termination of the NGPV project, the RMN might not have the resources, budget or justification to push for the SGPV project which is supposed to give the RMN six stealth frigates. So maybe not as drastic a reduction in numbers as twenty seven to six but rather twenty seven to six plus six.

But what is the MEKO 100 design and what is the NGPV? Is it a corvette or an offshore patrol vessel?


MEKO 100 


The name MEKO is a trade mark and comes from the German word Mehrzweck-Kombination which means multi-purpose combination. It refers to the German ship builder Blohm+Voss' family of vessels which are highly scalable due to their modular designs. Depending on the perceived threat environment, the customer can have a choice of vessel size ranging from a small OPV to large frigates or even small destroyers. The combat sub-systems can also be customized according to needs and budget.

Since the late seventies, the MEKO design has been equipping many navies around the world. Some of the notable ones include Australia and New Zealand's ANZAC-class frigate based on the MEKO 200 design, Germany's F123 Brandenburg-class and F124 Sachsen-class frigates and K130 Braunschweig-class corvettes and of course Malaysia's Kedah-class OPV based on the MEKO 100 design.

All the MEKO ships are characterized by reduced signatures, especially that of radar cross-section and infra-red but also acoustic and magnetic. The funnel or smoke stack is deleted and all engine exhaust is expelled horizontally on or below the waterline, selectable depending on the threat. The mono-hull design incorporates a forefoot skeg for yaw control and has active fin stabilisers allowing for high speeds, quietness and good sea keeping. Helicopter and ship operations can be carried out up to sea state 6. Some even have unique adaptations or solutions, like the all UAV hangars of the K130 corvettes that accommodate 2 drones.


German AAW frigate F220 FGS Hamburg is a destroyer sized F124 Sachsen-class ship
 based on the MEKO 200 design. USN photo


The Kedah-class NGPV


Malaysia's six NGPVs inherited the names of the first six Vosper PCs ordered in 1961 and long since retired or decommissioned. An oddity is that the " Sri " prefix that is only used in combination with the name of a Malaysian state has been omitted in the new series of ships. So instead of KD Sri Kedah, the lead ship is simply called KD Kedah, and the entire class is therefore also known as the Kedah-class.

Whether they are OPVs or corvettes probably depends on your point of view. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems ( TKMS ), parent company of Blohm+Voss, listed Malaysia's NGPV as the Blohm+Voss MEKO 100PV ( 2003 ) under the corvette category on its website. Jane's IHS 360 referred to the NGPVs as corvettes in their routine news coverage on the Kedah-class. The US Navy's official photo gallery even labeled them as FFL or light frigate ( see topmost photo ), a designation seldom seen used on modern frigates nowadays as almost all are FFG or guided missile frigates. The RMN classifies them as OPV and perhaps rightly so if based on their lack of long range anti-air and anti-ship armaments but their pennant numbers tell a different story! The Kedah-class ships have pennant numbers F171 to F176 and based on the international pennant number system adopted by many NATO and Commonwealth countries including Malaysia, the F prefix indicates a frigate or corvette hull type! So there is ambiguity even within the RMN as to the real status of these vessels. Personally, I am more inclined to view them as corvettes based on their relatively large displacement of close to 2000 tons, corvettes without much teeth that is.



KD Pahang underway. Source : Wikipaedia




Kedah-class Characteristics and Specifications


Type                              : MEKO 100 PV

Displacement                : 1850 tons full load

Length                          : 91m

Beam                            : 12.85m

Draught                        : 3.4m

Propulsion                    : 2 x Caterpillar 3616 Diesel Engines rated at 5995KW each
                                       Twin shaft with controllable pitch propellers

Speed                           : 24 knots

Range                          : 6050 nm at 12 knots

Endurance                   : 21 days

Complement               : 78 with accommodation for 98

Combat System           : Atlas Elektronik COSYS-110 M1/ARGOS

Surveillance Radar     :  EADS TRS-3D/ 16ES 3D search radar ( PESA )

Fire Control Radar     :  Oerlikon Contraves TMX/EO X-band with electro-optic fire director

Thermal Imager         :  Rheinmetall TMEO

Sonar                          :  L-3 ELAC Nautik NDS-3060 obstacle avoidance sonar.

ESM                           :  Thales Sceptre-X ESM system

Decoy                         :  Sippican ALEX/SRBOC chaff / decoy launching system

Armament                  :  1 x 76mm Oto Melara ( bow )
                                      1 x 30mm Breda-Mauser ( aft )
                                      2 x 12.7mm Machine Guns

Aviation Facilities     :  Stern Hangar and Helicopter Landing Deck



NGPV F172 KD Pahang underway. Source : LIMA

 

Fitted For But Not With

 

To understand why the Kedah-class were commissioned without advanced weaponry, we must ask ourselves this question : how can a country like Malaysia with a GDP ranking of number 33 in the world afford to buy twenty seven corvettes just like that. Or to put it another way, how would a shipbuilder convince its prospective client that he can afford a sizable fleet? The answer lies with a concept known as " fitted for but not with ", a method of building ships with plug and play modularity where vessels are constructed ready to receive expensive combat subsystems in the future. So everything required for the future installation of whatever weapon, sensor or defensive system intended would have been thought of and catered for, like allocating of the physical space, the load factor, the power requirements and the electrical hard wirings, network integration into the existing command and control system / combat system etc.

Such practices are adopted to largely keep built costs down for new vessels as modern weapons subsystems can be extremely expensive to procure and maintain and can form a large portion of the total acquisition cost. They can also be seen as future-proofing a vessel type. Capabilities can then be added anytime when the budget allows or when the threat environment justifies. A good example would be the ten ANZAC-class frigates of the Australian and New Zealand Navies, incidentally based on the MEKO 200 design. They were fitted for but not with close-in weapon system ( CIWS ), Harpoon anti-ship missiles ( SSM ), a second set of Mk41 vertical launch system ( VLS ) and a towed array system for anti-submarine warfare. The first in class HMAS Anzac was commissioned in 1996. As the last ship of the class entered service in 2006, both the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy had embarked on upgrade programmes for their frigates.

By adopting this concept, Blohm+Voss omitted the MM40 Block II Exocet SSM and the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile, kept projected costs down and clinched the deal to build the NGPVs. That was how the Kedah-class was constructed with guns only, no CIWS and no missiles. In addition, although equipped with a stern hanger and capable of embarking a medium helicopter like RMN's existing Super Lynx 300 ASW helicopter, no additional helicopter assets were bought with the arrival of the Kedah-class into the fleet.

But really, is this fitted for but not with idea for the NGPV a good move for the RMN? Would you rather have a large number of low capability assets or would you be better off with a much smaller number of highly capable ones? I would choose the latter option as one would never be certain about promised upgrades in the future. Mindsets could change and allocated budgets could disappear as economic and political situations evolve over time. So I say live within your means and settle for complete systems commensurate with existing requirements and let the future worry for itself.


Malaysia's Super Lynx 300 ASW helicopter seen landing on LCS-1 during Ex CARAT 2013. USN Photo


Dude, I'm Gonna Get Me Them Missiles, No?



Dude may sound too American. May be it should be " Bang, am I getting my missiles or not? ". Bang as in Abang, means brother in Malay. Even as we speak, the Kedah-class NGPV, as of everything else, continue to age. In the blink of an eye, the first and second of class KD Kedah and KD Pahang had already been commissioned for, gasp, ten years. Yet as a class they remained in their original fitted for but not with configuration, as other seemingly more urgent priorities set in, like the construction of the SGPVs and the upgrade of the Scorpene submarines. Will the Kedah-class be getting any upgrades at all given that the MYR9billion SGPV project alone would have taken a huge chunk of the annual defence budget for the foreseeable few years. What would be left for the Kedah-class? Also, since Malaysia's economy is closely linked to oil production, with oil prices at rock bottom currently, the future does not look bright for the NGPVs.

The longer it takes to implement any upgrades, the less meaningful and useful they become, the less value they add to the fleet. This is because all hulls have a useful life of about thirty years, more or less, depending on how they are used and cared for. With about a third of their service life gone, anyone can understand that whatever planned upgrades should have been carried out as soon as possible.

At the annual OPV and Corvettes Asia Pacific conference in Singapore in 2015, the RMN actually announced plans to carry out upgrades to two NGPVs for anti-surface warfare ( ASuW ) and the other four for anti-submarine warfare ( ASW ). The ASuW upgrade package would include surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and organic naval helicopter. The ASW package will have towed array and hull-mounted sonar, torpedo launchers and dedicated ASW helicopters. No further details were available on specific systems, or specific ships for specific roles, and all plans were pending approval and funding. So the upgrades are not yet a done deal.

Earlier that same year, the RMN also said that it had requested for funding for 36 programmes under the 11th Malaysia Plan covering the period 2016 - 2020. The Malaysia Plan is five year government funding allocation event. The request which would include plans to upgrade the Kedah-class OPV and the Laksamana-class corvettes would cost MYR10.1billion or USD2.8billion.

 
 
 
The KD Kelantan with Super Lynx 300 embarked,
in the Straits of Malacca 2011. USN Photo




KD Selangor at Sandakan, Sabah, 2012. Photo : Wikipaedia


 

Good For EEZ?


What is the Kedah-class good for? Good sized corvette type hull, open ocean capable, decent combat systems and electronic systems, decent guns but no CIWS, no SSM, no SAM, no torpedoes, no ASW sonar? That's essentially an over-sized gunboat!

It could be part of a surface action group but can never be able to operate independently especially in a high threat environment without some sort of air cover.

It could be a great training platform for seamen and midshipmen, but now many training vessels does a small navy require? Besides, the RMN is already building two Samudera-class training ships due to be completed this year after being long delayed by ..... another scandal! Sigh.

With its helideck and hangar and good range it might do well in search and rescue operations ( SAR ), and humanitarian and disaster relief operations ( HADR ). But how frequent does major disaster strike unless you are Malaysian Airlines or the Royal Malaysian Air Farce with Nuris ( Sikorsky S-61 aka SH-3 Sea King ) and CN-235 dropping out of the sky like flies??!

With the ability to launch boats and accommodate additional personnel which may include special forces and anti-terror specialists, it might also do very well in maritime security and anti-piracy operations where sometimes presence is all you need for deterrence, no need for SSMs, torpedoes or SAMs or any other high tech weaponry. Apart from Somalia, we know that the Straits of Malacca between Sumatra and the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia is the other hotbed for pirates.
 


SAR : The KD Terengganu during the search for Flight MH370 in 2014.
The Seahawk helicopter belongs to the USN. USN Photo




VBSS : A RHIB departs the KD Pahang
 in a maritime security exercise in Sep 2013. Photo : USN



The USS Carl Vinson, KD Lekir ( front ) and KD Kelantan ( Back )
PASSEX 26th Jan 2011 Straits of Malacca.  USN Photo

As above but with Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser CG-52 USS Bunker Hill trailing behind.
Note the relative sizes - corvette, frigate, cruiser and aircraft carrier. Photo : USN


RMN divers trying to salvage crashed Air Force CN-235 in Feb 2016
along the Kuala Selangor coastline. Fortunately, no lives were lost.
Photo via RMN Tweet.



But hang on a second, SAR, HADR, anti-piracy ops or just patrolling, aren't these primarily COAST GUARD duties??! Now of course these functions can be performed by any major surface combatant as well but certainly not as their core mission. So yes these sheep in wolf's clothing would do very well as coast guard cutters to patrol Malaysia's vast EEZ. At least now we can say they are not simply good for nothing.

Just last month on 24th Mar 2016, the MMEA reported that it detected and was monitoring one hundred Chinese fishing vessels escorted by two Chinese Coast Guard ships encroaching Malaysian waters around the South Luconia Shoals in the South China Sea near the town of Miri in Sarawak, East Malaysia. The RMN however, initially denied that the Chinese vessels were found in Malaysian waters, only to reverse their stance later. The confusion caused a delay in the Ministry of Foreign Affair's official respond to China, who of course denied that there was ever a problem. China claimed that it was the annual fishing season in the South China Sea and that  its fishermen were merely fishing in their " traditional fishing grounds " which their ancestors had fished since the days of yond. Faced with such absurd logic and unreasonable behavior from a major regional power and aspiring world power like China, Malaysia really needed bigger and better platforms for its coast guard, the MMEA.




Malaysia's EEZ in Peninsula and East Malaysia shown in red. Source : Marineregion.org



Unless the Kedah-class gets upgraded and soon, they might end up with the same fate as their predecessors, the Vosper PCs, that of being transferred from the RMN to the MMEA for EEZ patrol duties.

The saddest thing about the NGPV project was the lost potential for this class as a whole. What if the RMN had stayed true with the original 80m, 1300 ton proposal. Would the funds then be available to equip them better. Would the construction process be technically less demanding therefore resulting in on time delivery? Could it have resulted in the eventual construction of all twenty seven of the planned vessels? Did the ship builders hoodwink the RMN to cut back on the equipping to buy vessels bigger than they originally intended and actually required?

At around USD300million apiece, these supersized gunboats are not exactly cheap. South African Navy's four Valour-class MEKO A200 type guided missile frigates each displacing 3700 tons and armed to the teeth were ordered around the same time as the NGPV, just a couple of years earlier in 1999. They cost "only" USD327million each, marginally more than RMN's super cutter. This leads us to another issue. What the heck did the Malaysians pay for that the South Africans didn't have to? Could the cost of technology transfer and local construction inflate the price of the vessels by such a degree? Noooooo ... I do not think so. As usual, in this scandal filled country, every single venture, big or small, government or private, is a golden opportunity for someone, usually of high social standing and with good connections, to generate a handsome profit for himself or his cronies. The NGPV project is probably no exception and was not spared from multiple levels of fleecing.

Only the Malaysian authorities have the great talent to convert a frigate to a cutter and still appear to look innocent in the eyes of its ordinary citizens, but of course we know better. At the end of the day, unless you happened to be a Malaysian taxpayer, Does It Really Matter?