MUARA, Wednesday 13 February 2013 – KDB DARULAMAN will join a series of exercises and defence exhibition which includes Ex AMAN 13 (Karachi, Pakistan), LIMA 13 Exhibition (Langkawi, Malaysia) and Ex Hornbill 23/13 (Lumut, Malaysia).

The deployment is led by 384 Lt Col (L) Muhammad Hadi Syarifuddin bin Abdullah Mega, Commanding Officer KDB DARULAMAN, with 71 crew members including officers. The overall journey will take 2 months in the areas of Malacca Straits, Arab Sea and Indian Ocean with a total distance of 3,900 nautical miles.

Ex AMAN 13 will be held in Karachi, Pakistan, and will be the first series where a ship from the Royal Brunei Navy will participate. It will also be the 2nd series for LIMA 13 exhibition and the 23rd series for the bilateral Ex Hornbill 23/13.

The aim of this multi-lateral exercise is to provide common place for information sharing, mutual understanding and identifying areas of common interests. It creates a great opportunity for RBN to develop and practice response tactics, techniques and procedures against asymmetric and traditional threats during the sea phase of the exercise. Ex AMAN 13 will also show its resolve against terrorism and crimes in maritime area, contribute towards regional peace and stability, and enhance interoperability between the navies involved thereby acting as a bridge between the regions. 18 countries were invited to join this multi-lateral exercise. Some of the countries will be joining as observers while others will join the exercise at sea. A number of social events will be conducted between nations to allow interaction between the navies and sharing different cultures amongst each other.

After Ex AMAN 13, KDB DARULAMAN will be stopping in Phuket, Thailand. Whilst there, the crew of the ship will be making a defence interaction, courtesy call and other social events with the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). KDB DARULAMAN will then depart for Langkawi for the LIMA 13 exhibition where the ship will be open for visitors. Their last destination will be Lumut, Perak, for the Hornbill exercise serial 23/13. This bilateral exercise with Malaysia is intended to strengthen the diplomatic relationship between the two countries and “enhance mutual co-operation and understanding through the development of common operational doctrines and procedures in naval evolution and maritime warfare”.

During the departure at RBN Jetty, Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, Commander of RBAF, First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Halim bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, Commander of RBN, RBN officers as well as families of the involved personnel.