The ''Keris'' class is a series of patrol crafts designed and built for the

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). The vessels meet the requirements of Malaysia's marine defense by providing the ability to counter low intensity combat such as anti-

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

and border patrol.

Development

A total of 18 ships in two subclasses were ordered from Vosper Ltd in the 1960s to 1970s. Four ships are still in service as of 2023. Some of the retired ships were handed over to the

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Abbreviation, Abbr.; MMEA; – ''APMM''; Jawi script, Jawi: ); formally known as Malaysia Coast Guard for international identification, is the coast guard organisation of Malaysia, and principal gover ...

Major operation

The ''Keris'' class was the oldest ships still in service in the RMN. These ships were involved in major operations of the Malaysia-Indonesia confrontation and Operation Terumbu to ensure the success of the

Spratly Islands The Spratly Islands (; zh, s=南沙群岛, t=南沙群島, p=Nánshā Qúndǎo; ; ) are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed of islands, islets, cays, and more than 100 reefs, sometimes grouped in submerged old atoll ...

conquest.

Ships of the class

Source:

References

Naval ships of Malaysia Gunboat classes Ships of the Royal Malaysian Navy {{Malaysia-mil-stub