AG’s report: RM14m ship unsafe and unused

Research vessel the Prime Minister’s Department approved for a public university in 2008 is riddled with defects and has yet to be utilised

KUALA LUMPUR: A research vessel costing the government RM14.39 million has remained unsafe and unused for years due to delays and faulty equipment provided by the contractor, according to the Auditor-General’s Report 2012.

The ship, RV Discover, was handed over to Universiti Malaya Terengganu (UMT) from the Prime Minister’s Department for RM11.99 million in 2008, but two “variations” costing RM2.4 million hiked up the price – variations which, like the ship itself, lay neglected for years.

“UMT’s goal of enhancing the oceanography and marine science field through RV Discovery has yet to be realised,” said the report.

“This ship is reportedly on the same level as foreign research vessels with the capability of sailing as far as 4,000 miles nautical and is able to remain an sea for 15 days, yet this remains to be proven.”

The vessel’s contractor, Kaymarine Sdn Bhd, was supposed to complete the ship’s construction by March 22, 2010 but delays in the construction pushed its launch date to Sept 30, 2011.

RV Discovery was officially handed over to UMT on June 8, 2012, and it was only approved for sailing by the Marine Department on June 5 this year.

AG: Take action against contractor
The delays forced UMT to rent other ships for its students’ research and training, costing the government a further RM161,340 from 2008 to 2011 and jeopardising students’ learning process.

The report noted that defects on the ship and its equipment had yet to be rectified, and the building quality of the vessel did not comply with the standards and regulations of the Marine department.

Among the defects were: the installation of an electronic cable beneath a generator (making it a fire hazard); failure to encase the high pressure oil hose with an anti-splashing tape; the lamps in the steering gear compartment not working; and the life rackets exceeding their life expectancy.

This was on top of broken air conditioners, closed-circuit television (CCTV) and general shipping equipment.

In a response on May 20, UMT and the contractor wrote: “UMT has informed it will set up a committee and has adjourned a meeting regarding RV Discovery’s defects… The contractor has guaranteed that they will fix the defective equipment that remains under warranty.”

The AG recommended that UMT take action against the contractor to recover all losses if the Marine Department certifies that the ship cannot operate for its intended purpose.