KUCHING: Bringing the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) closer to Sarawakians – that was one of the aims behind the recent visit of KD Gagah Samudera and KD Teguh Samudera to Pending Port here.
KD Gagah Samudera’s commanding officer Commander Mat Salleh Othman said both ships were being used to train 101 officers through the Royal Malaysian Navy Training Cruise (RMNTC) 2019.
The 40-day cruise entered its 26th day in Kuching on Saturday.
The ships had travelled to several destinations such as Kuantan, Pahang, Sattahip, Thailand and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, before docking at Pending Port on Saturday.
Mat Salleh said the ships would be continuing their cruise to Tanjung Pengelih, Johor and Belawan, Indonesia before returning to Lumut in Perak.
“The cruise has created opportunities for the trainees to understand and learn about the culture and customs of other people and bond with local communities.
“The training also aimed to improve the skills of the young officers in other aspects such as knowledge, astronomy, intelligence, engineering and logistics,” added Mat Salleh in his welcoming speech at a cocktail reception on board KD Samudera on Saturday.
He explained that both ships were commissioned at Lumut, Perak Royal Navy Base on April 26, 2018.
The ships, he added, were designed by Korean engineers as training platforms and fabricated by local engineers at the Great One Marine Shipyard in Perak.
KD Gagah Samudera and KD Teguh Samudera welcomed visits from the public here yesterday in conjunction with RMN’s 85th anniversary Open Day.
The Open Day was to help the public understand the navy’s operations, assets and life at sea.
