The first of the three C-28A corvettes that China's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group is building for Algeria arrived in Malaysia on 6 October having completed the first leg of its voyage to North Africa.

Named Adhafer (920), the vessel docked at the Boustead Cruise Centre in Port Klang for a two-day replenishment stop before it continues to Algiers. The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) issued a press release saying 20 contractors from Hudong-Zhonghua are accompanying the vessel's 120 crew.

An RMN officer told IHS Jane's that, beyond the normal naval courtesies, RMN officers would not be visiting the vessel to inspect Adhafer as previously planned. The officer added that the vessel was not expected to make any additional port calls before arriving in Algeria.

The C-28A corvettes built for Algeria have a length of 120 m and a full-load displacement of around 3,000 tonnes. Weapons include a single 76 mm NG-16-1 gun, two quad launchers for C-802 anti-ship missiles mounted transversely amidships, an octuple FM-90N launcher for short-range HQ-7 surface-to-air missiles, two 30 mm Type 730B close-in weapons systems (CIWS), two triple-tube torpedo launchers that fire through an opening in the hull, and four 24-barreled decoy launchers.

http://www.janes.com/article/55066/a...meward-journey