Australian HMA Ships Arunta, Stuart and Sirius have completed their visit to Malaysia and Indonesia and will shortly complete their two and a half month deployment to North, South and South East Asia.
Following the recent combined exercise at sea with the French frigate FNS Vendemiaire in international waters off the coast of Vietnam, the Royal Australian Navy Task Group detached to conduct further international engagement with regional neighbours.
HMAS Stuart proceeded to Sabah Port in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia where it has completed a logistics resupply visit. HMAS Arunta and Sirius has paid a visit to Surabaya, Indonesia, and took part in a naval exercise with the Indonesian Navy, the TNI-AL.
The visit to Kota Kinabalu is the vessel’s its second port visit to Malaysia during the current deployment, having first visited Kemaman, where the ship conducted various shore-based interactions with the Royal Malaysian Navy.
HMAS Arunta and HMAS Sirius arrived in Surabaya, East Java on November 9 for a visit and participation in Exercise New Horizon. This exercise is a biennial maritime exercise between the RAN and the TNI-AL. It encompasses a series of combined training activities, such as basic mariner and navigational skills.
Following their respective visits to Malaysia and Indonesia, the Task Group will re‑form before returning to Australia to participate in further exercises closer to home.
Overall, the deployment by the Royal Australian Navy Task Group has involved visits to India, Japan, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia and is part of the Navy’s routine regional engagement activities in North, South, and South East Asia.
Image: Australian Navy