By Balqis Jazimah Zahari
Photo Bomba Perak
SITIAWAN:Some parts of a ship belonging to the Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM), KD Laksamana Muhammad Amin, which was undergoing a routine service at the Grade One Marine Shipyard, Kampung Acheh here suffered a small fire on Friday morning.
Bahagian Komunikasi Strategik Markas Pemerintahan Armada Barat Lumut Perak said in a statement that the fire was detected by ship personnel at 9.50am.
“The fire was successfully extinguished within 20 minutes as a result of the swift action of the ship mates with the help of the shipyard and the Fire Department.
“The parts of the ship that were affected were a small part of the main passage, the rear accommodation and the ammunition storage room,” he said.
According to him, in accordance with TLDM standard operating procedures, when the ship undergoes repair work at the shipyard all explosives are moved out for safety storage.
“The ship is also not inhabited during that period except for officers who carry out security patrols at certain times.
“There were no casualties or major damage caused by the fire. The cause of the fire and the actual damage assessment can only be known after the investigation by the Fire Department is complete,” he said.
He said that the Investigation Board was also established by TLDM to identify the real cause of the incident.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (HBPM) Perak, said that they received a call to inform about the incident at 10.03am before BBP Sitiawan members rushed to the location.
“The fire involved a TLDM ship in an estimated 50 meters x 10 meters under repair. The fire in the ammunition storage room (no ammunition) burned an estimated 10 percent.
“The extinguishing action was carried out by the port’s Emergency Response Team (ERT). The fire team that arrived at the scene was instructed by the operations commander to extinguish the fire using a 200-foot stream and two jets for extinguishing operations.
“The extinguishing operation was also assisted by a team of members from BBP Seri Manjung until the situation was safe and the fire was successfully extinguished,” he said.
He said, the entire operation ended at 12.45 pm
