This is the strange story of the Brunei Offshore Patrol Vessels built on the Clyde between 2001 and 2004 at a cost of £600 million pounds.
The ships were equipped with Exocet missiles and a rapid fire gun able to launch shells as far as ten miles,the ships were completed on time at BAE Scotstoun yard.
When the time came to hand the ships over,the Bruneians claimed that the vessels were not up to specification and refused to make the final payment.
It was generally considered by those in the know that the Brunei navy was not able to handle the sophisticated equipment on board the ships,they probably felt it was better not to accept the ships rather than lose face in being unable to use or even crew the ships.
At present the Bruneians operate a small fleet of basic vessels which are 20 years old or more.
The issue was finally resolved by arbitration,the outcome was that the three ships should be sold to the highest bidder.
One of the interesting designs of the ships is that they were built to accommodate Bruneian sailors who have an average height of 5ft 6in ,all the bunks and hatches and everything else on board is designed for people that tall.
One other problem which will hamper their sale is that they were built without central heating,being built to operate in the Sulawesi Straits you don't require a heating system,so the ships wont be much use in the north sea in a gale or the South Atlantic during the winter.
