The navies of Singapore and Malaysia concluded the week-long bilateral maritime exercise Malapura which took place in the Malacca Strait.
The shore phase, which included the opening ceremony, joint planning and training, was held from 26 to 27 November 2018 at Lumut Naval Base, Malaysia.
This was followed by the sea phase from 28 November to 1 December 2018, which saw the participants take part in conventional naval warfare and maritime security drills.
This year’s exercise, hosted by the Republic of Singapore, involved about 600 personnel from both navies. The RSN participated with Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious, a S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter, Victory-class missile corvette RSS Vigilance, and Fearless-class patrol vessel RSS Freedom.
The Royal Malaysian Navy participated with Lekiu-class frigates KD Lekiu and KD Jebat, corvette KD Kasturi, a Super Lynx helicopter, as well as the two Royal Malaysia Air Force F/A-18D fighter aircraft to support an air defence exercise.
The RSN and RMN interact regularly across a 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 also work closely to enhance maritime security through the Malacca Straits Patrol.