Izah Azahari
The Sembilang Exercise 16/22 series jointly organised by the Marine Police (POLMAR) of the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) and the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) ended with a closing ceremony at the Marine Police headquarters in Muara on Thursday.
The closing ceremony was officiated by RBN Fleet Commander Captain Khairil bin Haji Abdul Rahman, who emphasised the importance of cooperation between RBN and POLMAR as one of the whole-of-government approaches in ensuring maritime security.
He also invited POLMAR to participate in maritime patrols with RBN to resume Operation Sembilang which was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the four-day exercise which began on October 24, various solutions were discussed dealing with maritime issues, especially Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF).
In addition, joint compliant boarding training was carried out at sea involving rigid inflatable boats from the Naval Surface Action Group and KDB Syafaat’s high speed patrol vessel.
As security agencies that play an important role in maintaining the maritime security of Brunei Darussalam, members of the RBN and POLMAR increased their knowledge and improved their skills in dealing with maritime issues.
To further strengthen relationship between the two agencies as well as improve the fitness and health of members, a sports event was also held, with POLMAR winning the Sembilang Cup.
