KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — The failure of the appointed sub-contractor to carry out the wiring works is the reason why the construction of the combat diving pool at Iskandar Camp, Mersing, Johor is delayed.

Following that, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the process to appoint a new sub-contractor is being carried out by the Public Works Department (JKR) through an open tender to continue the project.

“The combat diving pool project had a problem with the appointed sub-contractor who could not carry out electrical work and so on and had to find a replacement.

“The appointed contractors usually have the expertise and ability, and it is not easy to find a replacement, the process needs to be tendered so it takes time. We got assurances from JKR that this matter will be given special attention... hope it can be implemented as soon as possible,” he said at a press conference after a site visit to the SASaR (One Member, One House) Housing Project in Sungai Besi here, today.

Mohamed Khaled said the project is now 98.4 per cent complete.

He said that although the project is a Ministry of Defence project, it is managed by JKR and if there is a delay in construction, the contractor involved will be penalised.

Yesterday, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, ordered the party responsible for building the combat diving pool at Iskandar Camp, Mersing, Johor to explain the cause of the delay in its construction.

Sultan Ibrahim, who is also the Colonel Commandant of the Special Forcess Group (GGK), said the pool, which should have been fully completed in December 2022, is still under construction, apart from the project signs being demolished.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the pool was officiated by Sultan Ibrahim in May 2018.

Facilities equipped with various facilities such as ship mock ups, entry points for entry by air as well as many other basic operational support facilities essential for 21 GGK members to improve individual and team competence, especially in dealing with threats from the maritime domain.

Meanwhile, following the crisis in the Middle East involving Iran and Israel, Mohamed Khaled said the members and officers of Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) 850-11 in Lebanon were reported to be safe.

“We received reports that all of them are safe...our team is deployed not in the border area between Lebanon and Israel but is further in. But we always inform them to prioritise safety,” he said. — Bernama

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/04/16/defence-minister-combat-diving-pool-at-iskandar-camp-delayed-due-to-failure-of-sub-contractor-in-wiring-works/129127