In a statement, the navy said the ship was successfully refloated at 4.38pm on Oct 12 through a salvage operation that was completed despite facing several challenges.

“The location of the shipwreck is now confirmed to be safe and there is no ammunition or explosives that could threaten the safety of the maritime community, especially those who often use these waters.

“The future of ships that are over 45 years old will be decided together with the ‘Phasing In-Phasing Out’ plan of obsolete ships that are still in service as a whole, in line with the navy transformation plan,” it said.

Meanwhile, the navy also stated that the ship is currently undergoing preliminary repairs before being handed back to them, while the cause and factors that led to the incident are being investigated.

On Aug 25, the KD Pendekar was reported to have struck a submerged object and started flooding before it sank in the South China Sea two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop, in Kota Tinggi, Johor on the same day.

Three days later, a navy crew member was reported to have died while trying to recover the wreckage of KD Pendekar.