JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- In its protracted battle to safeguard the security of the nation's waters, the Royal Malaysian Customs (RMC) Department will receive a booster shot in the arm.

Come next year, it will receive 10 units of speed boats and 14 units of hand-held thermal imagers, courtesy of the Land of the Rising Sun.

RMC director-general Datuk Seri Ibrahim Jaafar said the Japanese Government was handing over the boats and thermal imagers to help the department stem smuggling and illegal activities in Malaysian waters.

He said the boats and thermal imagers were provided under grant aids worth about 714 million yen (RM25 million), implemented through the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA).

Ibrahim was speaking to reporters after the handing-over ceremony of Perantas KB90, one out of four high-powered interceptor boats, to the RMC by its manufacturer, Destination Marine Services Sdn Bhd, here today.

The rest of the 16.5 metre-long Perantas boats weighing 17.5 tonnes and able to achieve a maximum speed of 65 knots, would be handed to RMC by end of this year.

The cost of the four interceptors is RM22.52 million.

On the boat received today, Ibrahim said it would be located in Johor Baharu while the rest would be allocated for Mersing (Johor), Kuantan (Pahang) and Penang.

With the new assets, Ibrahim said RMC would be able to play a greater role in safeguarding the security of the nation's waters, along with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Marine Police.

Meanwhile, he said the 24-hour operation of the import section of the Customs and Immigration Complex here had been running smoothly since it began last Sunday.

He said that this eased the import clearance at the complex.