MUARA, Monday 5 May 2014 - KDB DARULEHSAN safely came alongside at Muara Naval Base after participating in Multilateral Maritime Exercise 2014 in Qingdao, People’s Republic of China, as well as a Goodwill Visit to Hai Phong, Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The deployment led by Major (L) Willie bin Padan together with a complement of 68 crew personnels began on 14 April 2014 until 5 May 2014.

In attendance to welcome the arrival of KDB DARULEHSAN was First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Abdul Aziz bin Haji Mohd Tamit, Commander RBN, Col (L) Pg Norazmi bin Pg Haji Muhammad, Deputy Commander RBN, as well as several other RBN senior officers, officers, personnels and family members.

This deployment marked a significant first, for a RBN ship to have set sail for the People’s Republic of China as well as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This year’s MMEX was heavily focused on Maritime Humanitarian Aids and Disaster Relief and Search and Rescue Exercises involving sea and air units. KDB DARULEHSAN in its assigned task group was involved in searching for a vessel in distress and providing assistance once in vicinity of mentioned vessel. The overall went smoothly garnering praise from the host nation for the participating ship’s display of tactical competency and discipline.

Meanwhile, KDB DARULEHSAN’s Goodwill Visit to Hai Phong, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, as a planned stop once departed from Qingdao before returning back to Brunei, was also as previously mentioned, a first for a RBN ship. In meeting its purpose, the visit enchanced both nations relations, and securing the initial steps to realizing last year’s Memorandum signing. It signifies an important stepping stone for future RBN ships to follow.