PANO – Ships joining the 2016 Komodo multilateral naval exercise - including Hospital ship 561 of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) - sailed to Sipora Island on April 14th to start the field naval exercise, part of the 2016 Komodo exercise.

On reaching Sipora’s waters, ships were divided into 3 tactical groups: TU 35.1.1 to the west, TU 35.1.2 to the north, and TU 35.1.3 to the east of Sipora Island.

The Vietnamese ship is in tactical group TU 35.1.3. The group is scheduled to practice: communication using ship flashlights; air situation reporting; anti-surface combat; maritime blockade operations; inspecting suspicious ships; medical, and search and rescue, activities at sea; and logistics assurance. Engineering forces of participating navies will also join a construction project building a 700-meter long concrete road on Sipora Island.

On April 13th, participating ships finished other portions of the exercise, including preparations for the field exercise in Sipora. Participating naval forces also joined in fun  activities, such as boat racing, naval cooking, a beasal competition, and more.

The People’s Army Newspaper Online would like to present a number of images from the 2016 Komodo exercise in Indonesia:

 Officers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force joining the naval cooking competition
 Traditional dance of the host country
 Joining the boat race
 At the basal event
 VPN's representative receiving certificate "Friend to Indonesia's environment"
 VPN contingent saluting Padang when leaving for Sipora
 Ship formation on the way to Sipora
 Ships of other participating navies seen from VPN's ship 561
Translated by Huu Duong

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