Defense Ministry to inspect 10 to 15 aging TLDM ships

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) will inspect one-third or approximately 10 to 15 ships of the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) that are over 40 years old to ensure that these assets are in good condition.

According to Berita Harian, this action follows the complete sinking of the Royal Navy (KD) PENDEKAR, which is nearly 50 years old, yesterday, approximately two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop, Kota Tinggi.

Defense Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin stated that KD PENDEKAR has been in operation since 1979, but this was not the actual cause of the ship’s sinking.

He said the investigation into the incident is still pending.

“An investigation has begun to understand the cause of the KD PENDEKAR sinking. Although the ship has been in operation since 1979, approaching 50 years, age is not the actual cause of the incident. It is reported that it collided with an object, so this is currently under study. We are thankful that no lives were lost.

“In addition, we will inspect one-third or about 10 to 15 TLDM ships that are over 40 years old to ensure that these assets are in good condition,” he said at a press conference after visiting the Knowledge Transfer Programme (KTP) for Sedili Stingless Bee Farming organized by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) in the PPRT Kampung Sedili Kecil area in Kota Tinggi today.

Yesterday, TLDM confirmed that KD PENDEKAR sank completely at a position two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop, Johor, at 3:54 p.m., and all 39 crew members were successfully rescued without injury.

TLDM stated that efforts to salvage the ship through the recovery operation are still ongoing.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said the government is committed to ensuring that new ships currently under construction are completed on schedule, and the process of acquiring new ships continues.

“We are also building Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and in the process of purchasing Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) from Turkey.

“The first LCS will be operational by 2026, with a total of five LCSs planned. God willing, one LCS will be delivered each year. For the LMS, we expect to have them in October, November, and December 2027,” he said.