PHNOM PENH: Three vessels of the Russian Federation Navy have docked at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS), while a Vietnamese gunboat is visiting the recently modernised Ream Naval Base.
According to the Secretariat of the National Committee for Maritime Security (NCMS), the three Russian warships arrived at the port at 9am on April 28. The flotilla is led by Rear Admiral Aleksei Antsiferov, chief of staff of the Surface Ship Division of Russia’s Pacific Fleet.
The three ships – including the Steregushchiy-class corvettes Rezkiy and Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov – are carrying a total of 262 crew. They will remain docked at PAS for four days, from April 28 to May 1.
The Russian sailors will participate in friendly sporting activities, including volleyball and football, with their Cambodian counterparts at the Ream Naval Base, according to the NCMS.
Concurrently, on Sunday afternoon, Vietnamese People’s Navy warship 261 – a Russian-built gunboat – docked at Ream.
The 37 crew members will participate in the 35th joint patrol experience-sharing meeting at the Ream Naval Base with the Cambodian Navy, taking place on April 28. The visit will last three days, from April 27 to April 29.
The 261 is the second foreign vessel permitted to dock at the Ream base, following the April 5 official inauguration of a new pier and the Cambodia-China Joint Logistics and Training Center.
Last week, two Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force ships departed from the base, which was recently modernised, with support from China.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has noted that Cambodia welcomes requests from all nations who wish to dock and engage in cooperative activities. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
