Singaporean and Chinese navies have begun a bilateral maritime exercise that is set to run till Sept 9.
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said on Saturday (Sept 5) that the exercise, codenamed Exercise Maritime Cooperation, is being held in China's Zhanjiang.
Now in its fifth edition, the exercise which started in 2015, will see the participation of Singapore's Formidable-class frigate Steadfast and the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Jiangkai II-class frigate Dali.
The navies will engage in planning exercises and professional exchanges from Sept 5 to 7, before going out to sea from Sept 8 to 9 to conduct a range of bilateral training, including gunnery firings, communications and manoeuvring exercises, MINDEF said.
It will also include joint search and rescue and medical evacuation drills.
Steadfast is on the final leg of its three-month deployment.
During this period, it has participated in several bilateral and multilateral exercises.
In August, it made a two-day port of call at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal and opened its gangway for Singaporeans based there and the local community to visit.
It had also participated in a high-end naval warfare training along with 30 other navies at Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, held in waters off Hawaii from June 25 to Aug 1.
"The Republic of Singapore Navy's participation in these exercises enhances mutual learning, understanding and cooperation with a wide network of international partners," MINDEF said.
[[nid:740239]]
