''KA Tun Azizan'' is an

auxiliary ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxili ...

currently in service with

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defence operations. RMN's area of operation consists of 603,2 ...

(RMN). She was sponsored by local company Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) and transferred from Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad (MISC) to the RMN. Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE) then changes and modifies a used cargo vessel to be used as a forward operation base operated by the Royal Malaysian Navy in

Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...

Lahad Datu Lahad Datu () is the capital of the Lahad Datu District in the Dent Peninsula on Tawau Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 27,887 in 2010. The town is surrounded by stretches of cocoa and palm oil plantatio ...

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

to support the operation of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM). Since its operation in July 2015, KA Tun Azizan has operated under the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) with the appointment of commanding officers absorbed as members of the RMN Volunteer Reserve Team.

History

Petronas, together with MISC Bhd and Malaysia Marine Heavy Engineering (MMHE), has converted ''Tun Azizan'', a cargo vessel, into a mobile sea base ship with the necessary features to function as a long-term national security asset following the incident of armed group invasion in Kg

Tanduo Tanduo is a small village in Tawau Division, Sabah, Malaysia. The village is located about 37 kilometres from Lahad Datu town. It is the site where the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff The 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, also known as the Lahad Datu i ...

, Lahad Datu, Sabah on 12 February 2013. In November 2014, Petronas led an initiative jointly with MMHE and MISC to convert a used cargo vessel for the Royal Malaysian Navy's use as a mobile forward operating base in Sabah. These facilities are the first in Malaysia and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. It can accommodate a total of 99 crew members and is equipped with accommodation, food storage, washing room, operating and communication room, powerhouse, air conditioning system as well as military equipment and infrastructure. Tun Azizan is also equipped with light canon and grenade launchers such as those on the other Malaysian navy auxiliary ships, ''Bunga Mas Lima'' (BM5) and ''Bunga Mas Enam'' (BM6). All features and equipment have been fitted according to the technical requirements of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).
The ship was constructed by Malaysian Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE) in Pasir Gudang, Johor and launched on 5 May 2015. She began operating as a Naval Base on 13 May 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tun Azizan 1999 ships Auxiliary ships of the Royal Malaysian Navy Ships built in Malaysia