Sealegs Completes Circumnavigation of Malaysia
09 December 2009
One of New Zealand’s unique Sealegs (NZX:SLG) amphibious boats has completed a 1620 kilometre ‘circumnavigation’ of the Malaysian Peninsula in a record time of 31 hours and 57 minutes.
The circumnavigation had the support of Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Defence Minister of Malaysia, who approved his elite military force, including Commandos, to trial the boat throughout the circumnavigation with the objective of getting a product report on its completion. The report is to assess the capability and functionality of Sealegs amphibious craft for military purposes and was timed in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Show 2009.
The trip was undertaken in a specially built military class 7.1 metre Sealegs amphibious RIB that was equipped and customised to suit the specifications of the Malaysian defence force.
Sealegs International Ltd Chief Executive David McKee Wright, was part of the team that completed the historic journey which began from Pengkalan in North Eastern Malaysia and finished at the Langkawi Yacht Club, on the North West Coast. He said “I am very proud of the boat’s performance, particularly in light of the fact the vessel encountered large seas and was carrying up to ten soldiers at a time”. He added that he was looking forward to a positive report.
The Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he was equally impressed with the boat. He said the Defence Ministry would assess the boat’s performance and make its recommendation to him. “I’ll then need to talk to the Finance Ministry about procurement”.
