ID :
51928
Tue, 03/24/2009 - 08:32
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/51928
The shortlink copeid
FIRST OSTEX EAST TO FOCUS ON PIRACY AND HIJACKING
SEPANGGAR (Malaysia), March 23 (Bernama) -- The Operational Sea Training Exercise East or Ostex East that begins Monday till Saturday will have special focus on aspects and operations of anti-piracy and anti-hijacking.
Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Region Two commander First Admiral Syed
Zahiruddin Putra Syed Osman said this was to ensure that the navy here was
always ready even though there had been no such cases in Sabah or Sarawak
waters.
This is the first of three Ostex exercises that are held each year and will
involve 300 personnel, five naval vessels, an aircraft from the Royal Malaysia
Air Force and a Learjet," he told reporters after officiating Ostex East 1/09 at
the Kota Kinabalu RMN naval base here Monday.
Sepanggar is a sub-district of Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah
state in Malaysia. It is located around Sepanggar Bay which houses the Sepanggar
Bay Container Terminal, a major naval base for the Royal Malaysian Navy as well
as the Sepanggar Bay Oil Terminal.
"As all of you are aware, given the current trend due to the economic
downturn, we are seeing and hearing of many piracy and hijacking activities in
Somalia... recently there were cases in the Straits of Malacca and in
Singaporean waters.
"So even though they have not been cases in Sabah and Sarawak waters we want
to be ready. We are trained for that, if anything happens, we know how to
react," Syed Zahiruddin said.
Ostex East 1/09 in the waters of East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak
involves three phases - the port phase Monday, the sea phase from March 24-26
and the closing phase on March 28.
The primary objective is to enhance the readiness of navy vessels to a
maximum level and at the same time test the skills of sailors under the RMN
Region Two command in discharging their duties.
Syed Zahiruddin said additional features of the exercise this time are port
defence training and war games exercises.
"This is aldo the first time we are using RMAF aircraft," he said.
Besides military aspects, the exercise is also directed at social and
humanitarian aid in line with the global scenario.
--BERNAMA
Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Region Two commander First Admiral Syed
Zahiruddin Putra Syed Osman said this was to ensure that the navy here was
always ready even though there had been no such cases in Sabah or Sarawak
waters.
This is the first of three Ostex exercises that are held each year and will
involve 300 personnel, five naval vessels, an aircraft from the Royal Malaysia
Air Force and a Learjet," he told reporters after officiating Ostex East 1/09 at
the Kota Kinabalu RMN naval base here Monday.
Sepanggar is a sub-district of Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah
state in Malaysia. It is located around Sepanggar Bay which houses the Sepanggar
Bay Container Terminal, a major naval base for the Royal Malaysian Navy as well
as the Sepanggar Bay Oil Terminal.
"As all of you are aware, given the current trend due to the economic
downturn, we are seeing and hearing of many piracy and hijacking activities in
Somalia... recently there were cases in the Straits of Malacca and in
Singaporean waters.
"So even though they have not been cases in Sabah and Sarawak waters we want
to be ready. We are trained for that, if anything happens, we know how to
react," Syed Zahiruddin said.
Ostex East 1/09 in the waters of East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak
involves three phases - the port phase Monday, the sea phase from March 24-26
and the closing phase on March 28.
The primary objective is to enhance the readiness of navy vessels to a
maximum level and at the same time test the skills of sailors under the RMN
Region Two command in discharging their duties.
Syed Zahiruddin said additional features of the exercise this time are port
defence training and war games exercises.
"This is aldo the first time we are using RMAF aircraft," he said.
Besides military aspects, the exercise is also directed at social and
humanitarian aid in line with the global scenario.
--BERNAMA
