Navy ends large-scale exercise off Sabah’s coast

At the ready: Navy personnel taking part in the five-say exercise.

KOTA KINABALU: Navy personnel in Sabah ended 2023 with a large-scale training exercise off Sabah’s coast and in the South China Sea called the Ostex East Series 3/2023.

The five-day exercise, which ended on Dec 22, was the primary platform for the navy to improve the preparedness of its eastern fleet.

The exercise involved ships under the Eastern Fleet Command and the Naval Region Two (Mawilla 2) based off Sabah’s east coast in Sandakan.

In a statement, the Eastern Fleet Command’s strategic communications division said the exercise was to train and prepare the fleet to execute dual-threat maritime operations.

“The exercise was implemented via field training exercise (FTX) involving six vessels led by the KD Selangor,” the statement said.

An AW319 chopper, Unmanned Aerial System Scaneagle and a CB90-class fast assault craft were also part of the exercise, which was split into three phases – docking, maritime and post-exercise.

The exercise was launched and closed by Eastern Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Datuk Muhammad Ruzelme Ahmad Fahimy.