PUBLISHED ONJuly 23, 2026 10:00 AMBYSean LerSingapore relies on the sea for much of its need, including energy, food and trade, and hence it is a "fundamental national priority" for the city state to keep its maritime approaches open and secure, said Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam.
"It is a matter of survival," he added, while speaking at the launch of the second Victory-class multi-role combat vessel (MRCV) named Valour at ST Engineering Marine's Benoi shipyard on Thursday (July 23).
Turning to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, Shanmugam, who is also Minister for Home Affairs and will assume the additional role of Senior Minister on July 27, pointed out that the conflict's impact has resulted in rising energy costs worldwide.
He noted that Singapore has not been spared, with electricity tariffs and petrol prices having gone up, resulting in impact on businesses and households.
"A lot of what we need in Singapore comes by sea, food, energy, trade, and it's a fundamental national priority for us to keep our maritime approaches secure, open and free," Shanmugam said, adding that the MRCV will strengthen the Singapore navy's ability to fulfil this mission.
The MRCVs have a longer operational range and endurance as compared to the Victory-class missile corvettes (MCVs) they are replacing, with an operational range of more than 7,000 nautical miles and an endurance of over 21 days.
They are designed as a mothership for unmanned air, surface and underwater systems.
A key feature is its mission modularity, allowing the MRCVs to be reconfigured for a wide range of missions, from high-end maritime operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
"This flexibility was planned for. The future security environment continues to evolve.
"We will not be able to predict every challenge that we will face, but we can build platforms that can adapt and respond to a wide range of scenarios and evolve alongside those challenges," Shanmugam said.
But these did not come by chance, he highlighted.
"As you look around the news, countries are now saying, 'how do we keep our sea lanes safe?'.
"And they are talking about getting naval vessels quickly, buying, doing what they can; but actually, to really take care of your security, you need to be thinking about it for over a much longer term."
Speaking to the media after the launch ceremony, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Timothy Low, commanding officer-designate of MRCV Valour, said the ship will next undergo a period of outfitting, equipping and installation of platform and combat systems.
"We expect the first MRCV to be delivered from 2028 onwards, and for MRCV Valour from 2029 onwards."
Asked about his focuses, LTC Low said that apart from working with the navy's defence partners to get the ship ready, another priority is about the people.
"My focus is on building the pioneer team, assembling it, welding them together into a cohesive and well-trained team," he added.
@asiaone Speaking at the launching ceremony of the Singapore navy’s second Victory-class multi-role combat vessel (MRCV) on Thursday (July 23), Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam highlighted that platforms will need to be able to adapt and respond to a wide range of scenarios as the security environment evolves. #sgnews #Singapore #Defence #Navy #Maritime ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
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