RMN Vessel Suffers Leakage During Mission Off Johor Coast, Salvage Operations Underway

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- A Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) vessel, KD Pendekar, experienced significant leakage and flooding while on an operational mission, two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop, Johor.

In a statement today, RMN reported that the leakage was believed to have occurred when the ship, commissioned in 1979, struck an underwater object.

"The leak was first detected in the ship's engine room before it quickly spread, becoming uncontrollable. However, all crew members were successfully rescued after efforts to contain the leak and stabilise the ship failed.

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"The RMN's primary focus now is to carry out salvage operations to save the vessel," the statement said.

The RMN will establish a special investigation board immediately to determine the cause of the incident.

It is understood that the incident occurred around noon today while 39 crew members were on duty.

The RMN expressed its deepest gratitude to the agencies involved for their swift assistance in responding to this incident, including the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and the surrounding maritime community.

The public is advised not to speculate on this incident and to refer to official RMN sources for the latest updates and accurate information.

According to the RMN Maritime Strategy Centre (PUSMAS) website, KD Pendekar, a fast attack craft, was built by Karlskrona Varvet Shipyard in Sweden and launched on Nov 11, 1978, before being commissioned on July 27, 1979.

Initially, it was part of the Second Squadron of Fast Attack Craft (Missle) before being integrated into the First Squadron of Fast Attack Craft under the Patrol Flotilla. The vessel measures 7.1 metres in width and 43.62 metres in length.

Images and videos of the incident have also gone viral on social media, showing the efforts to evacuate the crew members and the current state of the vessel.

-- BERNAMA