Turkish shipbuilder DESAN Shipyard has held the keel laying ceremony for the second Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS-2) being built for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), marking another production milestone in the program.
According to a social media post published by the company, the ceremony took place on June 25 at DESAN Shipyard. The event was attended by DESAN management as well as Malaysian officials, including Malaysia’s Consul General in Istanbul Ahmad Amiri Abu Bakar, representatives of the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs and the MMEA, and Malaysia’s Defence Attaché to Türkiye.
The keel laying marks the beginning of the assembly of the vessel’s main hull blocks. With the ceremony completed, construction will continue with hull assembly and subsequent outfitting works.
In the same post, DESAN stated that the 99-meter vessel will be the largest ship in the MMEA inventory once delivered. The company also noted that the design includes facilities for fast interceptor boats as well as unmanned surface and aerial systems.
The MPMS program began in 2024 when Malaysia selected DESAN Shipyard to build a new class of offshore multi-purpose vessels for the MMEA. Steel cutting for the lead ship took place in Türkiye in 2024, followed by the keel laying and the start of block assembly. Construction of the first vessel has continued during 2025 and 2026.
The second ship was formally ordered in May 2026. Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs signed the contract with DESAN Shipyard during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2026), exercising the option for a second vessel under the original program. The follow-on order came while construction of the lead ship was already underway.
The MPMS design is intended to support a wide range of coast guard missions, including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and extended offshore patrols. Besides its flight deck and facilities for embarked boats, the vessel is designed to operate unmanned systems to support surveillance and maritime security missions.
According to information previously released by DESAN, the MPMS is designed for long-endurance operations. The vessels are expected to provide the MMEA with increased offshore presence compared with its existing fleet.
With the keel laying of MPMS-2 completed, both ships of the program are now in production at DESAN Shipyard. The first vessel continues construction while the second has entered the hull assembly phase following the June 25 ceremony.
