With shipyards in Perak, Penang and Kedah,
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (
BHIC) is the foremost shipbuilding, ship repair, maritime engineering and defense-related serviceprovider based in Malaysia. Since August 2005 the company has been captained by Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor, who serves as BHIC’s Executive Deputy Chairman and Managing Director.
Having first trained as a Cadet Officer at the Britannia Naval College in Dartmouth, United Kingdom, Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor has been a member of the Armed Forces since 1964. Over the decades he rose through the ranks from Acting Sub-Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral and Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Having served the RMN for over 34 years, Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor retired as the Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy in 1999.
“Malaysia is a country which is well-positioned as a conduit for a number of things – physically, culturally and to some extent academically as well. We are East meeting West here.” Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor, Executive Deputy Chairman
and Managing Director of BHIC |
Throughout his impressive military career, Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor also went on to acquire a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, as well as a Masters in Defense Management from the Naval War College, United States.
He recently spoke about the influence his military and academic background have had on the day to day running of BHIC, saying: “34 years is a long time. As you know in the military, we are always exposed to new training and new technologies and that has helped me along the way... plus the fact that I spent a long time in the planning area combined with management training – this all helps.”
At present, Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation caters to naval and commercial vessels, as well as privately-owned boats, with the capability to build vessels of up to 120 meters in length and 10,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT).
Spread over its three shipyards, the company has experienced and efficient manpower in shipbuilding and related services having recently built a number of vessels, including six new generation patrol boats for the Royal Malaysian Navy and fast-troop ships.
BHIC can build commercial vessels and private boats, anchor handling tugboats, twin-screw tug boats, offshore supply vessels, aluminum high speed vessels, vehicular ferries, and luxury yachts.
“We feel that we have the advantage that Malaysia is a maritime nation with such a strategic location as well as having a lot of marine operations in terms of transportation of trade, oil exploitation etc,” Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor recently commented when asked about BHIC’s outlook on the defense industry, before going on to say that, “There is a definite need for us to play a role in the defense industry, especially in the area of marine operations... we are now working on a project which will enhance our defense industry further in terms of ships, and producing and integrating a lot for defense-related electronics.”
Over the past number of years the BHIC shipyards have become a one-stop-shop for defense and naval vessels in South East Asia carrying out services, maintenance, repair and occasionally complete overhauls of naval and ground electronic equipments and systems for Malaysian as well as international navies.
With fierce competition around the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand, BHIC’s boss is proud to show the international maritime community what his country’s shipyards have to offer, “Malaysia is a country which is well-positioned as a conduit for a number of things – physically, culturally and to some extent academically as well. We are East meeting West here.”
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