News Headline

 

​BELAWAN, NORTH SUMATRA, INDONESIA, Thursday, 01 December 2021 – KDB DARUTTAQWA arrived and anchored at Belawan Anchorage area, off the coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia on 29^th November 2021 to participate inaugural ASEAN-Russia Naval Exercise 2021 (ARNEX 2021). KDB DARUTTAQWA is joined by ships from the Russian and participating ASEAN navies including Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar. ARNEX 2021 is comprised of 2 phases; harbour-phase on 1^st December and the sea-phase, from 2^nd to 3^rd December.

The Harbour phase commenced with an opening ceremony attended by all participating units, the Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL) First Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Arsyad Abdullah, the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, His Excellency Mr Alexander A. Ivanov, Commander Task Group (CTG) of the Exercise, Captain (Navy) Wawan Trisatya Atmaja, TNI-AL, and respective countries' Defence and Naval Attaches. The ceremony started with a Report of Readiness by the CTG, followed by opening remarks from the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, an address by the Indonesian First Fleet Commander, and a virtual group photo of all the attendees. All three speakers welcomed the exercise participants in Belawan waters and highlighted the importance of ARNEX 2021, signifying a step forward in the development of relationships between the ASEAN countries and Russia. On completion of the Opening Ceremony, an 'Admiral Inspection' was conducted by TNI-AL First Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Arsyad Abdullah onboard KRI LEPU. Also present onboard for the 'Admiral Inspection' were the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia and respective nations' Defence and Naval Attaché.

The Sea Phase of ARNEX 2021 will commence on 2^nd December 2021 and will include a wide range of exercises that include communication, ship handling, search and rescue and deck landing exercises. All exercises will be conducted in accordance with COVID-19 policies and will be contactless throughout. The Royal Brunei Navy aligns with the objectives of ARNEX 2021 and affirms her commitment to building, strengthening and maintaining relationships, as well as enhancing interoperability between all participants towards a peaceful and stable regional maritime domain.