MALAYSIA'S FIRST SUBMARINE BEGINS JOURNEY HOME FROM FRANCE

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's first submarine KD Tunku Abdul
Rahman left Toulon, France on its historical maiden journey to Malaysia at 11 am
Thursday.

The Embassy of Malaysia in Paris in a statement sent here, said the
submarine was waved off by Malaysia's Ambassador to France S.
Thanarajasingam.

Also present at the ceremony were Defence Attache Captain Khairuddin Mohd
Ariff and officials from Malaysia's submarine project team as well as French
senior navy officials led by Admiral Yann Tainguy.

The submarine consisting of 35 crew members was commanded by Commander
Zulhelmy Ithnain of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

The submarine is expected to stop at Lumut (small town in northern state of
Perak in Peninsular Malaysia) and Port Klang (a town and main gateway by sea
into Malaysia) for a few days before continuing the journey to Sepanggar Naval
Base in Sabah, an East Malaysia state.

It will also transit at major ports such as Jeddah, Djibouti and Cochin,
before reaching Malaysia.

The submarine project started when Malaysia signed a deal to purchase two
submarines in 2002.

The first submarine was finally completed with the departure of KD Tunku
Abdul Rahman, which is expected to reach its Malaysian home in Sepanggar by
early September.

The KD Tunku Abdul Rahman submarine is Scorpène class submarine, a class of
diesel-electric attack submarine. It features diesel propulsion and an
additional air-independent propulsion (AIP).



-- BERNAMA