Navy to station 2 new patrol vessels here
Published on: Thursday, April 28, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Security in Sabah waters will soon see a further boost with the availability of two additional new generation patrol vessels for the navy here. "We currently have two new generation patrol vessels namely KD Kedah and KD Perak at the Sepanggar Naval Base, and we hope to add two more," said Region Two Navy Commander Rear Admiral Datuk Khairul Anuar Yahya. He went on to explain that this was part of the navy's Fleet Transformation Programme to ensure they have sufficient and more sophisticated assets to maintain Malaysia's sovereignty in the waters together with other security enforcement agencies.
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He said this after attending a parade in conjunction with the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN) 82nd Anniversary at the Sepanggar Naval Base here, on Wednesday. The event was attended by the Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia Dr Makio Miyagawa, the Japanese Consul-General in Kota Kinabalu Hiroko Matsuo and about 40 Japanese sailors among others. "We appreciate the presence of our Japanese counterpart, whose two naval vessels are coincidentally berthed here since Monday. "They volunteered to be part of the celebration and if you notice, we have had numerous port calls from the Japan Maritime Self Defence Forces and we welcome them," said Khairul.
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Meanwhile, Miyagawa said they were honoured to attend the Malaysian Navy's 82nd Anniversary. "Very coincidentally two of our Maritime Self Defence vessels are docked here since Monday to replenish and refresh themselves before returning to Japan on Thursday after a long deployment," he said.
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"Malaysia and Japan have for many years enjoyed good and friendly relations and this is the reason why they decided to visit here. "We would also like to play certain roles of collaboration not just in the field of economy, culture, society but also in security," he said. Also present was Regional Maritime Director First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som who congratulated RMN on its 82nd anniversary. "I am happy to be invited to be part of the celebration because I am also a former navy officer," said Mohd Zubil who joined the navy in 1981 where he served for close to 25 years before joining the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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