Singapore, Thai navies stage drill in Gulf of Thailand

Ships from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) are underway in the Gulf of Thailand as part of a week-long exercise called Singsiam.

The bilateral exercise is hosted by Thailand and is set to conclude on June 9.

Warships are taking part in conventional warfare training in anti-surface and anti-air domains, as well as maritime security training.

Singapore Navy ships involved in the drill include Victory-class Missile Corvette RSS Vigour and Independence-class Littoral Mission Vessel RSS Sovereignty. This is the first international exercise for RSS Sovereignty which entered service in 2017.

Royal Thai Navy units taking part in the exercise include Naresuan-class Frigates HTMS Naresuan and HTMS Taksin, and a Dornier 228 and Fokker 27 maritime patrol aircraft.

As part of the exercise, the RSN and RTN conducted gunnery live-firings, air defense and warfare training. The two navies also executed a combined boarding operation involving boarding teams from RSS Sovereignty and HTMS Taksin to conduct security checks on a simulated suspicious vessel.

Exercise Singsiam is in its 19th edition since it started in 1981. Besides the biennial exercise, the RSN and RTN also interact regularly across a range of activities including professional exchanges and courses.