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​MUARA, Thursday, 25 November 2021 – KDB DARUTTAQWA set sail to embark on a 16-day deployment to participate in a multilateral Naval exercise – ASEAN RUSSIA NAVAL EXERCISE (ARNEX) 2021. This Exercise will be held from the 1^st to the 3^rd of December 2021 within the Indonesian territorial waters off the coast of North Sumatra, Republic of Indonesia.

The Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Spry bin Haji Serudi @Seruji was present during KDB DARUTTAQWA's slip-off at Muara Naval Base to bid farewell along with the RBN's Executive Board Members. The event began with a socially distanced farewell gesture between the Commander of RBN and the crew of KDB DARUTTAQWA at the Jetty. This was followed by a handover of Donations from the Commander of RBN to the Commanding Officer of KDB DARUTTAQWA, which will be given to the Aceh community upon arrival.

KDB DARUTTAQWA is captained by Commander Saiful Hazril bin Ali, who will be leading the Brunei contingent comprising of 58 personnel; including the ship's officers and crew and also attachments such as the medical officer, religious staff and Naval Surface Action Group (NAVSAG) members. Prior to KDB DARUTTAQWA's participation in this exercise, the ship's personnel underwent swab tests to ensure a safe and covid-free deployment. ARNEX 2021 will be an at-sea-only construct and there are no plans for events ashore to ensure there are no transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Exercise ARNEX 2021 is a multilateral maritime exercise which entails an involvement of 8 ships, 3 helicopters and 1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from Russia and 7 ASEAN countries. The ASEAN countries involved in this multilateral exercise include; Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ARNEX 2021 marks the first ASEAN-Russia Naval Exercise which aims to strengthen the relationship between ASEAN countries and Russia. This multilateral exercise will play its role as a vital platform in giving opportunities for the professional development of all navies involved, enhancing interoperability and also fostering friendship at all levels. During slip-off, a recitation of Doa Selamat was made to bless KDB DARUTTAQWA's journey to Sumatra and back.