KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 —The navy vessel KD Pendekar which experienced “severe flooding” following a leak earlier today has completely sunk off the coast of Johor.
In a statement this evening, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) said the KD Pendekar sank at 3.54pm two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop.
“Efforts to salvage the ship are still underway,” it said.
Constructed by Karlskrona Varvet Shipyard in Sweden, this vessel was launched on Nov 11, 1978, and commissioned into the navy fleet on July 27, 1979.
In an earlier statement, the navy said the leak occurred while the shop was carrying out operations, and that the leak is believed to be from the vessel hitting an underwater object.
The leak which was first detected at the ship’s engine room had spread rapidly and uncontrollably. All 39 crew were successfully rescued after efforts to control the leak and stabilise the ships were unsuccessful.
The navy added that it will be setting up a special investigation board immediately to identify the source of the incident.
The navy also thanked agencies who were involved in quickly giving aid, namely the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and the maritime community nearby.
The navy advised the public to not speculate regarding the incident and to refer to TLDM’s official sources for the latest development and information.