Brunei acquires third naval vessel

The Royal Brunei Armed Forces acquired a new naval asset, the third Patrol Vessel Darussalam Class (PV80-3) KDB Darulaman.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said that the acceptance ceremony and flag raising was held at Luerssen Shipyard in Germany.

Darulaman is the last of the Darussalam class, which have been commissioned to Luerssen Shipyard by the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

The steel cutting and keel laying was initiated on June 26, 2009 and November 12, 2009 respectively and was launched in January 6, this year.

During the ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Dato Paduka Hj Mustappa Hj Sirat, accepted the vessel on behalf of His Majesty's Government.

The ship has successfully carried out its Harbour and Sea Acceptance Trials and the crews are at their final stage of training.

The Darulaman is expected to start its maiden voyage back to Brunei in October and arrive in December this year. The ship will be fully manned by the Royal Brunei Navy.

The statement went on to say that the KDB Darulaman will complement the current naval assets that are already in service in the Royal Brunei Navy in maintaining the nation's maritime sovereignty and territorial integrity. The assets will also support the efforts in keeping peace and stability in the region.

"Today marked another significant step in the history of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces with another milestone achieved for the Darussalam Class," said the statement.

Asia One