IPOH, March 10 — The second screening involving over 150 officers and crew of the KD Lekiu vessel which arrived at the Lumut naval base yesterday came back negative of Covid-19.

The Western Fleet Command headquarters in a statement said the second screening was conducted by the Health Service Division of the Malaysian Armed Forces in collaboration with the Health Ministry.

The first screening was done on the officers and crew members of KD Lekiu at the Sepanggar naval base, Kota Kinabalu, upon arriving from South Korea on March 5.

"Subsequently, all crew members of KD Lekiu who were quarantined on board will be allowed to return to their families once they have been certified to be in good health by the Health Ministry,” said the statement.

The statement also quoted Western Fleet commander, Vice Admiral Datuk Aris Adi Tan Abdullah as saying that the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) was very concerned about the health of crew members, especially, when carrying out a mission and that the Covid-19 issue was handled professionally.

KD Lekiu departed from the Kota Kinabalu base on February 5 to accompany Petronas Floating Liquified Natural Gas 2 (PFLNG 2) tanker and docked at the Samsung Heavy Industries Jetty, Geoje-do, Busan, South Korea on February 12, before sailing back home on February 18. — Bernama