Malaysia, the Netherlands conduct a joint underwater expedition
Satu pasukan pakar tinjauan bawah air dan penyelidik dari Belanda dan Malaysia menjalankan ekspedisi bersama itu dari 17 hingga 30 Jun. - Gambar hiasan/Facebook/Markas Pemerintahan Armada Timur
BERNAMA
06/07/2024
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and the Netherlands conducted a joint diving expedition to the location of two Royal Dutch Navy submarine wrecks from World War II in Malaysian waters.
According to a joint statement, a team of underwater survey experts and researchers from the Netherlands and Malaysia conducted the joint expedition from June 17 to 30.
"The research team is looking for the location of the wrecks of K-XVI and O-20, two Royal Dutch Navy submarines that sank in Malaysian waters during World War II.
Preliminary findings indicate that the wreckage of the K-XVI has not been found and is believed to have been salvaged. Instead, the wreckage of the O-20 was confirmed to be at the recorded location," according to the joint statement.
According to the statement, the findings of the expedition and follow-up actions will be discussed between the Netherlands and Malaysia.
A ceremony commemorating and honoring the 36 crewmen on the K-XVI and seven crewmen on the O-20 who died while on duty aboard the submarine was held by the Dutch delegation during the expedition, the statement said.
"This joint underwater expedition provides an excellent opportunity for the Netherlands and Malaysia to strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the field of training and capacity building related to maritime archeology and underwater cultural heritage management," the statement said.
According to the statement, the field work was done as a collaboration between Malaysia and the Netherlands. The team from Malaysia is led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense (Royal Malaysian Navy), the Ministry of Home Affairs (Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency), the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Department of National Heritage), the Prime Minister's Department (National Security Council), and Ministry of Transport (Malaysian Maritime Department).
Meanwhile, the team from the Netherlands is led by the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science), in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense (Royal Dutch Navy), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Embassy of the Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur), according to the statement.
-- BERNAMA
