SHAH ALAM: 45-year-old fast attack craft – KD Pendekar -pennant number 3513, sunk off Tanjung Penyusop, south-east Johor, this afternoon (August 25) almost four hours after colliding with an underwater object. The thirty-nine crew members of the Handalan-class FAC were rescued by passing a merchant ship.

The ship struck the underwater object at noon, causing a leak in the machineries room, RMN said adding that the crew members abandoned the vessel when the flooding could not be stopped. The ship sank at 3.54pm, two nautical miles off Tanjung Penyusop, in Pengerang.

Video of their rescue circulating on social media showed the rescued sailors helping their colleagues who were still in life rafts. The video also showed a Singaporean police vessel at the scene, likely assisting in the rescue. Other social media posts showed a RMN FCB likely based the RMN Tanjung Pengelih, and a marine police patrol boat, next to the floundering vessel.

“The leak was first detected in the machineries room causing uncontrollable flooding. The crew abandoned the ship after attempts to stop the leak and stabilising the ship was unsuccessful. RMN focus is now to salvage the vessel.

A special investigation board will be set up to investigate the cause of the incident.

The release:

𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐘𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝟐𝟓 𝐎𝐆𝐎𝐒 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒: 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐊𝐄𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐀𝐑 𝐊𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐊𝐀𝐑 𝐃𝐈 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐘𝐔𝐒𝐎𝐏
TLDM mengeluarkan kenyataan berikut:
1. Kapal TLDM iaitu Kapal Diraja (KD) PENDEKAR telah mengalami kebocoran dan kebanjiran besar pada jam 12.00 tengah hari ini di posisi 2 batu nautika Tenggara Tanjung Penyusop, Johor ketika sedang melaksanakan penugasan operasi. Kebocoran tersebut dipercayai berpunca dari kapal terlanggar objek bawah air.
2. Kebocoran yang mula dikesan di Bilik Jentera kapal telah merebak dengan cepat dan tidak terkawal. Kesemua kru berjaya diselamatkan setelah usaha untuk mengawal kebocoran serta menstabilkan kapal tidak berjaya. Fokus utama TLDM sekarang adalah untuk melaksanakan operasi salvaj bagi menyelamatkan kapal.
3. TLDM akan menubuhkan lembaga siasatan khas dengan kadar segera bagi mengenalpasti punca kejadian.
4. TLDM merakamkan jutaan terima kasih kepada agensi-agensi yang terlibat atas tindakan pantas memberi bantuan terhadap insiden ini iaitu Agensi Penguatkuasaaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM), Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) dan komuniti maritim yang berada di persekitaran.
5. Orang ramai dinasihatkan untuk tidak membuat sebarang spekulasi mengenai insiden ini. Sila rujuk sumber rasmi TLDM untuk perkembangan terkini dan maklumat sebenar.

Additional release by RMN:
Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) mengeluarkan kenyataan seperti berikut:
1.
Kapal milik TLDM iaitu Kapal Diraja (KD) PENDEKAR telah tenggelam sepenuhnya di posisi 2
batu nautika di Tenggara dari Tanjung Penyusop, Johor pada jam 3.54 petang ini. Usaha
menyelamatkan kapal melalui operasi salvaj masih dalam proses pelaksanaan.
2.
Usaha pantas komuniti maritim telah berjaya menyelamatkan kesemua kru KD
PENDEKAR seramai 39 orang sebelum kapal ditenggelami air sepenuhnya. Tiada
kecederaan dilaporkan. Mereka kini berada dalam keadaan selamat dan ditempatkan di KD
SULTAN ISMAIL, Tanjung Pengelih, Johor. Aset TLDM ditempatkan di lokasi kejadian bagi
memantau keadaan semasa dan keselamatan persekitaran .
Orang awam dinasihatkan untuk tidak menyebarkan maklumat insiden yang tidak sah.
Perkembangan terkini akan dimaklumkan melalui sumber rasmi TLDM.

The last time RMN vessel suffered the same fate was another FAC – KD Pari – in late 2011. She took in water after one of her shafts became dislodged while underway. Her crew managed to get to Pulau Layang-Layang to be moored but due to the flooding, she sank at the jetty. She was salvaged in 2012 and later returned to service after undergoing repairs.

Pendekar was based in Tanjung Gelang, Kuantan, which is the RMN First Regional headquarters. After their rescue, the crew were transferred to the Tanjung Pengelih base. Unlike her sister ship, KD Perkasa, Pendekar had not undergone the Obsolescence Programme. However, she and sister ship, KD Gempita, had been fitted with a new combat management system (CMS) allowing for her main gun – 57mm Bofors – be fired remotely. The Handalan class ships are fitted with an echo sounder for navigation.

— Malaysian Defence.

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