Brunei receives second Fearless-class patrol vessel, signs MRO contract
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| The KDB Al Faruq upon arrival at Muara Naval Base. Photo c/o Brunei MOD. |
The Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) has formally received a second refurbished Fearless-class patrol vessel from Singapore on 02 October 2023.
The handover ceremony was held at the RSS Singapura – Changi Naval Base in Singapore, with Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Chief of Navy Rear Adm. Sean Wat and Royal Brunei Navy Acting Commander Capt. Haji Mohamad Sarif Pudin bin Matserudin jointly officiating the event.
The ship, formerly the RSS Gallant (97), was granted to Brunei and renamed as the KDB Al Faruq (99), with Rear Adm. Wat looking forward for the ship to continue to service the Royal Brunei Navy after protecting Singapore’s maritime interests in the last 25 years.
The RBN’s ship then sailed home to Brunei with its new crew led by LCdr. Pengiran Khairul Anwar bin Pengiran Haji Abu Bakar, arriving at Muara Naval Base in 04 October 2023 and welcomed by the RBN Acting Commander and the RBN Executive Board officers ratings and families of the crew.
In addition to the ship’s transfer, Singaporean company ST Engineering announced that it has signed a naval maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in-service support contract for the two Fearless-class patrol boats in service with the Royal Brunei Navy.
The contract is for a period of 18 months and involves Muara Maritime Services Sdn Bhd based in Muara, Brunei Darussalam.
The Fearless-class of the Republic of Singapore Navy was a class of 12 patrol vessels that were built by Singapore Shipbuilding and Engineering, now known as ST Engineering Marine, and have been in service from October 1996 to December 2020 when they were replaced by the new and larger Independence-class littoral missions vessels.
[1] Brunei Ministry of Defence
[2] Republic of Singapore Navy
Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal
on
October 19, 2023
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