M’sian Navy ship sinking at base in Perak

LUMUT (PERAK) — A Royal Malaysian Navy ship which was docked at the Bousted Naval Shipyard (BNS) for repair work sank partially when water flooded the lower point of the vessel.

The KD Perantau, which was commissioned on Oct 12 in 1998, was built at Limbungan Hong Leong-Lursen in Penang.

A Navy spokesperson said the hydrographic vessel was undergoing refitting maintenance at dock when it became flooded on Tuesday at about 11.15pm. “Efforts are being conducted to rescue the vessel from sinking,” he said.

The ship was also used in the search and rescue mission of the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which is believed to have gone missing in the southern parts of the Indian Ocean, reported The New Straits Times.

A statement issued by the Royal Malaysian Navy base said the vessel was sent to BNS for refit works on Nov 10, and it was to be handed back to the Navy on Aug 10 next year.

The official statement said almost all movable equipment, such as pumps, motors and survey apparatus, had already been removed from the ship in preparation for the refit work.

It said an investigation board would be set up to determine the cause of the flooding, stressing that both the Navy and BNS were salvaging the ship.

No one was reported injured, the Royal Malaysian Navy statement said.

With a length of 67.8m and width of 13.3m, the hydrograpy vessel was designed and equipped for conducting hydrographic survey and also meteorology and oceanography observation.

According to information obtained from other sources, KD Perantau, which can travel at a maximum speed of 16 knots, is also equipped with the latest navigation and survey systems, such as Navigation and Command System and Hypack Acquisition System, said The New Straits Times.

In a statement later, Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd, which operates BNS, said while the vessel was still listing, further water ingress had been halted.

“BNS does not wish to speculate on the reasons for this incident. An engineering survey is underway to establish the exact causes. In conjunction with our colleagues in RMN, efforts to re-float the vessel are underway,” said the statement, adding that further information would be provided in due course. AGENCIES