KOTA TINGGI: The Defence Ministry will conduct inspections on a third of its fleet, or around 10 to 15 navy ships, that are over four decades old, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

The Defence Minister said this move followed the sinking of a Royal Malaysian Navy vessel, KD Pendekar, on Sunday at two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop.

The ship had been in service for nearly 50 years. Khaled, however, said the ship’s sinking was not due to its age.

“An investigation has already been initiated to find out the cause.

“It is also important to note that these vessels are indeed old, having been in operation since 1979.

“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.

“The KD Pendekar, as has been stated, collided with an object, and this is being investigated. What is important is that there were no casualties,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Sedili Stingless Bee Knowledge Transfer Programme organised by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu at the PPRT housing in Kampung Sedili Kecil here yesterday.

Khaled also said they were in the process of constructing the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and procuring the Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) from Turkiye.

“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.

The minister said one of the LMS vessels would be placed at the new Marine Region 4 base in Bintulu, Sarawak.

“We have discussed this with the state government. They have given strong support for the construction of a naval base there because according to our plan, once the LMS vessels are ready, they will be based there.

“We are currently negotiating the price (of land). That’s the only matter left. If the price is agreed upon by both parties, we will start building a new base as an additional naval base in Bintulu.

“In East Malaysia, we only have one base in Sabah. The conditions in Sarawak are not suitable due to shallow waters, so Bintulu is the only suitable location,” he said.

Earlier, the Royal Malaysian Navy, in a statement, said the KD Pendekar had completely sunk off the coast of Johor after experiencing severe flooding due to a leak.

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

Despite the crew’s best efforts to control and stabilise the vessel, the situation rapidly deteriorated, making it unmanageable.

The vessel had been on an operational assignment.

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

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/27/defence-ministry-to-inspect-navy-ships-over-four-decades-old