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BNS Gets New Chief Executive

An eagle's eye view of the Lumut Naval Shipyard facilities in Lumut. Note the hangars at the end which was built specifically for the LCS using the funds of the project. Behind the first LCS, is likely KD Kasturi undergoing a refit since late 2021. Picture taken in 2022 by then-BNS.

SHAH ALAM: With the LCS project set to resume later this year, Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd (BHIC) has appointed a new chief executive to head its associate company, Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS). The new CEO is Azhar Jumaat, the current LCS project director whose new appointment became effective on May 13. It is unclear whether someone else will be appointed as the LCS project director though.

Azhar, an engineer by training, is the last publicly known executive involved with the LCS project since its started in 2014. He was present at the first steel cutting ceremony for the first LCS as he was the first RMN LCS director with the rank of Captain. All the others had left or retired from BNS or RMN since then.

The steel cutting ceremony for the first LCS as recorded by the RMN website.

Azhar likely left RMN in 2017 as he was appointed as the second BNS LCS director late that year to replace the first LCS director Anuar Murad, also a former RMN captain.
If Azhar remained as the LCS project director, he will be doing double duty at BNS though he will still have other executives to help with the other duties.
Azhar Jumaat, the new CEO of BNS. Internet

Apart from shipbuilding, BNS is involved in ship repair and maintenance and maintenance of other equipment as well. From the company’s website:

Boustead Naval Shipyard is a one-stop centre for defense and maritime needs. Covering an area of 46 hectares, it was originally known as the Royal Malaysia Navy Dockyard became fully operational in 1984. The Company was corporatised in 1991 and subsequently privatised in 1995 as PSC Naval Dockyard Sdn Bhd. In 2005, the Company was taken over by Boustead Holdings, a diversified Malaysian business conglomerate belonging to the Armed Forces Provident Fund, and the Company’s name was changed in August of the same year to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn. Bhd. Strategically located within the main base of Royal Malaysian Navy, Lumut, Perak. Boustead Naval Shipyard is part of the Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation or BHIC, a public listed company on the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, along with its other associated companies, Boustead Penang Shipyard and Boustead Langkawi Shipyard.

An eagle eye view of the facilities at BNS. BNS


–Malaysian Defence

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View Comments (6)

  • The IR is a professional course that must be taken on their own time and money though I am told that nowadays it's a lot easier to try for one. The last two and current RMN head of engineering also have them

  • Yup. But it is still not easy to do for those that aren't desk-bound all the time. So I respect those that took time and effort to get it while juggling duties in TLDM. If its something the Govt could do, at least to sponsor such career developments as well other forms of trainings & professional courses for the military rank & file. In the US, one of the key pulling factor to join is fully paid college courses which servicemen could do while on the job. We should have such incentives here as it benefits both ways; building up professionalism & intellect in the armed forces with better quality recruits, and for the overall nation when more citizen are degree holders or such as it will be good for them to hold a qualification once they leave/retire and join the private sectors. Enough with the servicemen retiring just to become taxi drivers and truck haulers (both dignified vocations but you get what I mean).

  • With all the delays and problems with the LCS, they should be called Got-winds. The whole affair is just full of hot air. They just need to finish the damn boats...and no more contracts for Boustead.

  • Well it depends the trade they got into, nowadays, those who got jobs like engineering and even chefs are now given opportunities to have their duties towards a diploma and even degrees. It's the infantry guys that are usually goes into retirement without much of things to do, especially those who served less than 15 years despite the courses they attend prior to leaving the service

  • Tom tom "and no more contracts for Boustead"

    Doing so would just be a repeat of the gagah where contract is taken away from already indebted BNS who did a national service saving the kedah on the pretexts they get more contract in the future which they never did which results in increasing BNS debt burdens which results in failure of the LCS programs and now BNS is more indebt now then ever as they pulled another round of national service debt acquisition to rescue the LCS.