Royal Malaysian Navy patrol boat sinks near Singapore Strait; all on board rescued

The Royal Malaysian Navy has confirmed that one of its vessels sank while it was conducting a patrol near the Singapore Strait off the coast of the southern Malaysian province of Johor in the early afternoon (local time) of Sunday, August 25.

The navy patrol boat KD Pendekar sank just off Tanjung Penyusop in Johor at around 15:54 on Sunday. However, the entire crew complement of 39 were successfully rescued before the vessel became completely submerged.

The rescued sailors have since been evacuated to Johor while other navy vessels are on-site with their crews on the lookout for possible pollution from the wreck. A salvage plan is also being drafted.

In a statement, the navy said Pendekar suffered a hull breach, which then led to water ingress in the engine room at around 12:00 on Sunday. Officials believe the breach was the result of the vessel striking a submerged object during its patrol.

The crew were then forced to evacuate after it became evident that the flooding could no longer be controlled.

Other agencies that assisted in the successful rescue operation include the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Royal Malaysia Police.

The navy added that a special investigative board will be formed to identify the probable causes of the incident.