British Royal Navy warship arrives in Singapore for naval exercise

SINGAPORE: One of the British Royal Navy’s most advanced warships, the HMS Daring, arrived in Singapore on Sunday morning. The ship will take part in Bersama Shield during its visit — a naval exercise that is under the Five Power Defence Arrangements, which groups Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Britain.

The British High Commission in Singapore said this demonstrates the UK’s ongoing commitment to its defence relationship with Singapore and its global reach.

While the warship is here, a Defence and Security Industry Day will be held by UK Trade & Investment on board for leading UK defence and security companies to highlight innovative and cutting edge technologies and capabilities.

Many of these companies have equipment onboard and in service elsewhere within the Royal Navy. Their equipment and services range from combat systems, satellite and communications systems, propulsion, and unmanned air vehicles.

The ship’s crew will also participate in community outreach activities, with visits to the Rainbow Centre, as well as an event with Riding for the Disabled while they are here, and visit the Kranji War Cemetery with World War II veterans.

Angus Essenhigh, Commanding Officer of the HMS Daring, said: “I’d like to think this visit sends a very strong message of support to the region, and obviously we have a large amount of trade comes to and from the UK that passes through these waters. So the presence of a Royal Navy ship I’d like to think is indicative of our support to our regional partners and also it shows the interest the Royal Navy has in maintaining our presence in the region.”

He added: “During our port visit, we’ve got quite a lot of bilateral arrangements with people from the Singapore Armed Forces coming on board and us going to visit some of the facilities while we are here.”

Commanding Officer Essenhigh noted that the crew feels privileged to contribute to Bersama Shield during the ship’s visit, and added: “It’s two years since the Royal Navy has been in Singapore, so it’s fantastic to be back and participating in such a high-profile exercise.”