KD Pendekar nearly 50 years old at time of sinking, says Defence Minister

KOTA TINGGI: The Royal Malaysian Navy vessel that sank completely on Sunday (Aug 25) at a position two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop has been in service for nearly 50 years, says Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said that the ministry would be conducting inspections on a third of the fleet, adding that the Navy has 10 to 15 ships that are over 40 years old.

However, he said that the cause of the sinking of KD Pendekar was not the vessel’s old age and added that the ministry is still awaiting the investigation report regarding the incident.

“An investigation has already been initiated to understand the causes of the sinking of KD Pendekar, but it is also important to note that these vessels are indeed old, having been in operation since, if I’m not mistaken, 1979. That is nearly 50 years.

“That is why the government is currently making significant efforts to ensure that the new ships we are building are completed according to schedule, while also continuing with the procurement of new vessels.

“We do not deny that the age of our ships is very old, but that may not be the cause. The cause is that it collided with an object, and this is being investigated. What is important is that there were no casualties,” he said.

He said this when met after conducting a working visit to the Sedili Stingless Bee Knowledge Transfer Programme organised by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) at the PPRT Housing in Kampung Sedili Kecil here on Monday (Aug 26).

Mohamed Khaled also shared that the ministry is also in the process of constructing the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and procuring the Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) from Turkey.

“The first LCS will be operational by 2026. We have five LCS vessels, and God willing, one will be delivered each year. As for the LMS, they are expected to be delivered in October, November, and December 2027,” he said.

Earlier, the Royal Malaysian Navy said in a statement that their vessel KD Pendekar sank off the coast of Johor after experiencing “severe flooding” due to a leak.

The KD Pendekar sank two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop at 3.54pm yesterday while on an operational assignment.

The leak, believed to have been caused by a collision with an underwater object, was first detected in the engine room.

Despite the crew’s best efforts to control and stabilise the vessel, the situation rapidly deteriorated, making it unmanageable in the incident that happened around noon on Sunday.

KD Pendekar is a Handalan-class fast attack craft; the ship was launched on Nov 11, 1978 and commissioned into the fleet on July 27, 1979.