LUMUT, June 6 — A former Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) ship which was docked off the shore near the Marina Waterfront near here after having sprung a leak and was listing since Saturday, was stabilised today,
RMN Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Datuk Seri Mohamad Roslan Mohamad Ramli said the vessel, Ex KD Rahmat was correctly positioned at 4am, due to the hard work of navy personnel and others who took turns pumping out water from the ship round-the-clock since Saturday.
“We need to work in an organised manner so that the ship does not tilt further and we fully used the services of the RMN’s engineering and technical experts to salvage the ship,” he told a press conference here today.
Mohamad Roslan said until now, they were still conducting surveillance although the entire valve leak had been patched up to prevent water entry.
“We are still studying whether the valve should be repaired or replaced with a new one...however, it involves a relatively high cost,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the state government, through a special committee would discuss with the RMN to ensure the position of Ex KD Rahmat – decommissioned by the navy since 2004 – was guaranteed.
Plus Asia Jaya (Perak) Sdn Bhd which was entrusted to maintain the vessel has agreed to bear the full cost of repairing the ship and building a new jetty for it to dock. — Bernama
