PANO - On June 8, Ship 20 under Brigade 172 of Naval Region 3, together with the delegation of the Vietnam People's Navy led by Senior Captain Nguyen Quoc Quang, Deputy Commander of Naval Region 3, participated in the maritime exercise within the framework of the 4th Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK-4) in Makassar City, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. This is the largest multinational exercise in Southeast Asia, held once every two years since 2014.

MNEK-4 had the theme of "Partnership to recover and to rise stronger," aiming to foster the spirit of awakening  from the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance friendship among nations for a better future.

This exercise emphasized non-combat military operations when naval forces from different countries work together to respond to natural disasters, provide humanitarian assistance, and address maritime challenges.

The scenario of the MNEK-4 exercise was based on a recent earthquake in early June, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, in South Sulawesi Province at a depth of 10km caused by the movement of the Eurasian and Australian tectonic plates in the Makassar Strait. The earthquake resulted in 50 fatalities, 200 injuries, and extensive damages to infrastructure. The Indonesian government promptly responded to the disaster. Due to disrupted road transport and the inoperability of the airport, the Indonesian government had to deploy naval ships to deliver relief supplies and medical personnel to the affected area.

Other countries also provided assistance and support through their warships. Indonesia established a joint combat group (Group 423) in coordination with other nations to conduct search and rescue operations. This group coordinated the naval ships from all countries towards the Eastern part of Kota Baru waters.

Reported by Ngoc Hung from Indonesia

Translated by Trung Thanh