KUALA LUMPUR: Five sailors were injured when a Royal Malaysian Navy interceptor craft caught fire at its base in Semporna yesterday.

A statement from the navy said the craft, P38, caught fire at 2.20pm while at the jetty in KD Sri Semporna, the RMN amphibious base in Semporna.

“The incident occurred when the crew of the interceptor craft started the engine in preparation for the transportation of personnel to the Tun Sharifah Rodziah sea base for a change of duty. Naval personnel on duty at the jetty acted quickly to put out the fire in 10 minutes,” the statement said.

(The Tun Sharifah Rodziah sea base is a decommissioned oil rig off Semporna which was turned into a forward base last year as part of the strengthening of security in the east coast of Sabah.)

The RMN said all the sailors who were injured in the incident were brought to hospital for treatment and were reported to be in stable condition.

It said initial investigations by the Fire and Rescue Department point to the possibility that a combination of a short circuit and engine oil leak was the cause of the incident.

“The RMN, with the assistance of the Fire and Rescue Department, has immediately set up a board of inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of the incident.”

-New Straits Times