KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 -- The Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2) project is on track for completion by mid-2026, the Royal Malaysian Navy announced.

A keel laying ceremony, marking a key construction milestone, was held on Tuesday at the Istanbul Shipyard in Turkiye and officiated by Navy Chief Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy Ithnain, according to a report published in The Star today.

The ceremony signals the start of the ship's main block assembly, following the steel cutting event held on December 4 last year.

The Defence Ministry's secretary-general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali chaired a Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) meeting during the visit, with participation from company representatives involved in the contract.

The PMC oversees the pro...