NAVY PARTICIPATES IN INAUGURAL THAILAND INTERNATIONAL FLEET REVIEW
// STORY Benita Teo
// PHOTOS Chua Soon Lye and courtesy of Republic of Singapore Navy
Held for the first time, the event brought navies from the region and around the world together to celebrate ASEAN's golden jubilee. It comprised three key events: the 11th ASEAN Navy Chiefs' Meeting, the IFR and inaugural ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise (AMNEX).
The ASEAN IFR 2017 was officially launched on 19 Nov in Dusit Thani Pattaya Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand by Thai Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister General (GEN) Prawit Wongsuwon.
In his opening address, GEN Prawit thanked the navy chiefs from ASEAN and other nations for their support and participation. He said: "It is indeed a great opportunity for the ASEAN navies to show our determination in fostering maritime security cooperation and stability, (and that we are) ready to collaboratively counter threats and challenges in the region."
The opening was followed by the 11th ASEAN Navy Chiefs' Meeting. Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Lew Chuen Hong joined his counterparts from the region for a discussion on this year's topic, "Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment".
The celebrations were extended to the public later that afternoon with an Operations Demonstration on sea rescues by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and fancy drill performance. Sailors from the navies participating in the IFR, including the RSN, then took to the streets along Pattaya Beach to march in the International Navies City Parade, drawing loud cheers from the crowds of excited locals and tourists.
The ASEAN Night reception for ASEAN and other participating naval chiefs capped off the day's events.
The event's highlight, the IFR, was held on 20 Nov. A total of 18 ASEAN and international navies and 25 vessels, as well as 15 RTN ships, were gathered at Pattaya Bay for the review. Thai Prime Minister GEN Prayut Chan-o-cha presided over the review, sailing on board the Presidential Yacht, RTN warship HTMS Thalang, together with navy chiefs and representatives from the participating nations.
Three RSN ships, frigate RSS Steadfast, missile corvette RSS Valiant and Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV) RSS Independence, took part in the review. This was the highest number of ships sent by a foreign navy for the IFR.
The IFR included a 19-gun salute by Cannon-class Escort Destroyer HTMS Pinklao and flypasts by Royal Thai Air Force aircraft.
The review wrapped up with the conduct of the first AMNEX. The aim of the exercise was to deepen knowledge and understanding so as to facilitate rapid future exchanges, to develop maritime operational capabilities to increase readiness and interoperability, and to promote multilateral cooperation in the ASEAN community.
The exercise took place in and around Sattahip Naval Base in the northern part of the Gulf of Thailand.
AMNEX began with a harbour phase from 13 to 17 Nov, during which the ships' crews worked on planning for the various serials, or exercise scenarios. The sea phase of the exercise was held on 21 Nov in the Upper Gulf of Thailand.
The 14 ASEAN ships, which included the same three RSN ships that took part in the IFR, carried out serials such as boarding exercises and replenishment approaches. These helped to test the safety and processes of manoeuvring while in close proximity to other vessels.
The ships also lined up to form the number "50" as homage to ASEAN's 50th anniversary.
The event ended with the AMNEX closing ceremony on 22 Nov.
This was the first overseas deployment and exercise for RSS Independence. As part of the exercise, the ship conducted a maritime interdiction operation, during which the ship's crew boarded a commercial vessel suspected of dumping chemical waste into the sea to carry out investigations.
RSS Independence Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Tay Choong Hern was happy for the ship and her crew to have the chance to participate in the event.
"We are also here for an important occasion to show our support to the RTN and reciprocating their strong support of our RSN50 (Singapore) International Maritime Review, where they also sent their flagship aircraft carrier and frigate," he said.
He added that the exercise was also important in testing the ship's capabilities: "It's very apt that we are here in AMNEX where we can showcase ourselves and our ship's capabilities to the ASEAN navies. It's an important milestone for the LMV as a platform, because it is our furthest and longest deployment.
"I'm happy to note that the vessel is doing well and the concepts we designed the platform with are working very well."
