<figure id="attachment_3119009" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3119009" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3119009 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/f4bcf553-str-semporna-sabah-1.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3119009" class="wp-caption-text">The forward operating base on Pulau Mabul is a pioneering project for Esscom, operated by the marine police as a tactical headquarters to control and monitor security in the waters off Semporna and the surrounding areas.</figcaption></figure>
PETALING JAYA: The home ministry will appoint a new contractor by Oct 16 to complete the delayed forward operating base for the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) on Pulau Mabul in Semporna.
Deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the decision would be finalised at the public works department&#8217;s (JKR) rehabilitation board meeting.
He said both the ministry and the state government would work with JKR to ensure the new contractor could complete the main building, personnel quarters, and jetty.
Shamsul said the delay was caused by setbacks in the jetty construction, with progress stuck at zero against the targeted 11%.
&#8220;This was due to delays in conducting seabed surveying works for gazettement purposes. However, that process was completed on June 22, 2023,&#8221; Bernama quoted him as saying in his winding-up speech on the debate on the Auditor-General&#8217;s Report Series 3/2025 for his ministry today.
He said the original contractor was terminated in September 2023 after an audit found no construction activity because of a lack of workers since June that year, despite several reminder letters from the consulting supervision team.
The delay had raised the project costs by RM28.7 million, which would be covered using funds from the cancelled Sabah Sea Surveillance System Phase 2 project in Sandakan and Malawali.
He said monitoring mechanisms had since been tightened, with ministry and state government representatives now attending every site meeting, and JKR using the C-Plan integrated enterprise system to track project quality and progress.
Shamsul also said the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency operated 237 maritime assets in the Strait of Malacca, South China Sea, and Sulu Sea to ensure effective enforcement.
Under the Malaysian Maritime Strategic Plan 2020, he said, the agency aimed to have 116 patrol vessels, 96 medium ships, 20 large ships, and 228 smaller boats to meet operational needs.
As of Sept 30, a total of 35 MMEA vessels were more than 30 years old, and the agency was implementing a refurbishment and phased asset replacement programme.

MatchPoint Times

New contractor to be picked for delayed Esscom base, says home ministry

Deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah says the ministry is working with the state government and JKR to ensure the project’s completion after a year-long delay.

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