KD PENDEKAR

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Navigational error and age of ship contributed to sinking

The navy has attributed the sinking of the 'KD Pendekar' to a navigational error and the vessel’s advanced age. A report released on Oct 28 said a special investigation board set up to determine the cause of the incident found that the ship deviated from its planned course and collided with Stork Reef on Aug 25. The 45-year-old vessel’s weakened structural integrity complicated flood control and accelerated the spread of water to other compartments. A leak was first detected in the ship’s engine room, with water rushing in and spreading uncontrollably throughout the vessel. The vessel is currently undergoing technical inspection. The investigation board found that strong currents and limited visibility of about 1ft contributed to the death of a navy diver during the salvage operation on Aug 28. Arman San Hermansa’s safety line became entangled with the ship, and emergency procedures were ineffective to prevent him from drowning. The investigations indicated that diving SOPs and safety measures were followed prior to the dive. The diving equipment was functional before and after the operation, and the diver was confirmed to be certified.

Wreck of Navy boat recovered

Rgw KD 'Pendekar' has been successfully raised to the surface on Oct 12 at 4.38 p.m. The operation was completed despite facing various obstacles and was currently undergoing early repairs before being handed back to the Navy as of Oct 13. The Navy declared the location of the sinking safe, with no ammunition or explosive materials remaining that could threaten the safety of the maritime community. "The future of the 4ship will be decided in the 'phasing in-phasing out' plan for obsolete ships, in line with the Navy Transformation Plan. The cause of and factors that led to its sinking were still being investigated. The ship had suffered severe flooding following a leak and sank on Aug 25, two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop off the coast of Johor. Report with photo: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/10/13/navy-successfully-salvages-sunken-vessel-kd-pendekar

Private company to salvage sunken ship

A private company will continue the salvage process of the KD 'Pendekar'. The Navy will handle the appointment of the company. The Navy divers conduced early work for the salvage process, which included identifying, investigating and ensure that tools and sensitive information on the vessel do not go missing. Regarding the incident on Aug 28 where a Navy diver died, a post-mortem on the vessel's wrecking was expected to be completed in about a month.