A Malaysian warship has sunk in the South China Sea near its southern coast after suffering “severe flooding” caused by leaks on Sunday, the country’s naval service announced.
KD Pendekar, a Royal Malaysian Navy missile boat armed with guns and missiles, experienced leakage and flooding at noon local time, two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop at Johor’s southeastern coast, one of the country’s states situated in the south of the Malay Peninsula.
The ship was completely submerged at 3:54 p.m. following a successful rescue operation of all 39 crew members. “No injuries were reported,” the naval forces of Malaysia said in a statement. The sailors were safe and later placed at KD Sultan Ismail, a naval base in Tanjung Pengelih, Johor.
Royal Malaysian Navy Facebook page
According to a local media report, the Pendekar was built in Sweden’s shipyard and launched in November 1978 before being commissioned in July 1979. It had a length of 143 feet and a full displacement of 268 tons with “versatile firepower” against both targets at the sea and in the air.
The South China Sea is one of the contested waters in the Indo-Pacific region, where China has maritime disputes with neighboring countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
The Malaysian navy said it was believed that the warship hit an underwater object while carrying out operational duties. Flooding was initially detected in the engine room, which spread rapidly and got out of control. Crew’s efforts to control the leaks and stabilize the vessel were unsuccessful.
Images circulating on social media showed the Pendekar took on water while crew members were evacuated. Efforts to save the warship through salvage operations were still underway, and a special investigation agency would be established to identify the cause of the incident, the navy added.
The Royal Malaysian Navy extended its thanks to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the police, and the local maritime community for their quick actions in providing assistance to the incident. Meanwhile, it advised the public not to make any speculations about the incident.
The Malaysian Pendekar was not the first warship involved in an incident in the South China Sea. USS Connecticut, one of the three United States Navy Seawolf-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarines, grounded on a seamount in the region while sailing at high speeds on October 2, 2021.
U.S. Navy
Eleven crew members suffered minor injuries, and the submarine’s bow and part of its rudder were damaged. It transited to Guam afterward and returned to San Diego, California, two months later.
The submarine was docked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington State for repair in July 12, 2023. The Navy’s investigation concluded that the incident “resulted from an accumulation of errors and omissions in navigation planning, watch team execution, and risk management.”