‘First-ever’ remote operated landing crafts to be built in Malaysia

February 24, 2026, by Nadja Skopljak

Malaysia-headquartered offshore support vessel (OSV) provider Nam Cheong has been awarded shipbuilding contracts, valued at $64.5 million, for two dive support vessels (DSVs) and two remote operated landing crafts (ROLCs) by a UAE-based maritime logistics company, marking its first newbuild contract win in over a decade.

The DSVs will be capable of performing a wide range of subsea operations, including diving support, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) support, underwater inspections and maintenance, while the ROLCs, said to be the first-of-a-kind in the world, will be based on the remote-control system developed by SeaOwl Group, and will be completely unmanned and remotely operated via satellite connection from shore station. Equipped with built-in auto-docking, the vessels will be used for logistical operations.

All four will be 60 meters long, expected to be delivered in the second half of 2027 and in early 2028.

The OSVs will be fully constructed in-house at Nam Cheong’s Miri Yard in Sarawak, Malaysia.

The newbuilds will upon delivery be added to the customer’s fleet expansion and renewal program, supporting its ongoing exploration and production activities, the Malaysian company said.

“We are thrilled to have an established UAE based global energy maritime logistics company, as our new customer, for constructing four highly sophisticated OSVs. This marks the beginning of the resurgence in demand for our shipbuilding activities after more than a decade,” said Leong Seng Keat, Chief Executive Officer of Nam Cheong.

“We are deeply grateful for the customer’s trust and confidence in us and equally proud that our own efforts and continuous upskilling have brought us to this milestone. I am confident that our decades of proven track record in shipbuilding, strengthened technical know-how, and commitment to meeting customers’ requirements will enable us to ride on this positive newbuild momentum and deliver long-term value to our shareholders.”

Subject to the fulfilment of the conditions of the contracts, they are expected to contribute positively to Nam Cheong’s earnings for the financial year ending 2026 to 2028.