SINGAPORE, Dec. 30 -- The RSS Persistence, the third and largest Singapore Navy ship deployed to join the search operation of the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, is about to reach the designated search zone at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, local media reported.

The RSS Persistence, an endurance class landing ship tank, set off last night from Singapore and will conduct drills before joining in the search operations, Channel NewsAsia reported.

This is the third navy ships deployed by Singapore Navy since the search operation for the missing Air Asia flight started. Earlier on Sunday, Singapore Navy has already sent frigate RSS Supreme and missile corvette RSS Valour to assist the operation, the two arrived Monday afternoon.

The 123 navy personnel on board the RSS Persistence brings the total number of Singapore Navy personnel in the area to 142.

Two Super Puma helicopters are also on board the RSS Persistence and they are expected to conduct two sorties a day.

Singapore so far has sent three C-130 aircrafts to join the search operation, and the Singapore Ministry of Transport's Air Accident Investigation Bureau has also offered the Indonesian authorities two teams of specialists and two sets of underwater locator beacon detectors to assist with the search.

The Air Asia flight, which set off from Surabaya to Singapore, lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24 Sunday morning.