The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) participated in Exercise Malapura, a bilateral maritime exercise, from 18 to 28 July 2017. The opening ceremony, held on 19 July, was officiated by RSN Fleet Commander Rear-Admiral Cheong Kwok Chien and RMN Western Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Dato' Mohamad Roslan bin Mohamad Ramli. The closing ceremony was held earlier today at the RSN's Fleet Command Building in RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base.
Conducted since 1984, this year's exercise was hosted by the RMN and involved about 600 personnel from both navies. The participants carried out joint planning and training at Lumut Naval Base, and conducted conventional naval warfare and maritime security drills in the Malacca Strait. The RSN participated with a frigate (RSS Formidable), a missile corvette (RSS Victory), a patrol vessel (RSS Resilience) and a Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter. The RMN was represented by a frigate (KD Lekiu), a corvette (KD Kasturi), a patrol vessel (KD Selangor) and a Super Lynx helicopter.
Speaking on the successful completion of the exercise, Commander of the RSN Task Group, Colonel Anthony Lee said, "The good mutual understanding between our sailors was key to the successful conduct of this exercise. Both navies demonstrated high levels of interoperability during shore planning and various warfare serials at sea. This is testament of the good friendships and trust that have been forged over the years."
The RSN and RMN interact regularly across a wide range of activities. These include professional exchanges and courses, as well as multilateral activities under the ambit of the Five Power Defence Arrangements and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)/ADMM-Plus. The two navies have also been working closely to enhance maritime security through the Malacca Straits Patrol. These regular interactions strengthen mutual understanding and professional ties among the personnel of both navies, and underscore the warm and long-standing defence ties between both navies.
(Sing Mindef)