MMEA, Japan Coast Guard Launch Joint Maritime Exercise In Selangor Waters 

KLANG, June 23 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) will conduct a four-day joint exercise in the waters off Selangor from today.

MMEA acting deputy director-general (Operations) Rear Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said the exercise, involving the Maritime Ship (KM) Banggi and Patrol Vessel (PV) Mizuho, demonstrates JCG’s confidence in MMEA to strengthen cooperation in addressing increasingly complex regional security challenges.

He said the series of exercises would include search and rescue operations, arresting technique training, and Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) training involving officers and personnel from both MMEA and PV Mizuho.

“This is the first visit by PV Mizuho after the COVID-19 pandemic... Cooperation between MMEA and the JCG has been ongoing since 2006.

“The collaboration between PV Mizuho and KM Banggi this time focuses on law enforcement training, particularly in combating sea robbery and transnational crimes, as well as other illegal activities within our maritime zone,”  he told a press conference after visiting PV Mizuho at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal here today.

Also present were Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Shikata Noriyuki, JCG Deputy Commandant for Operations Kanosue Hiroaki, and Selangor MMEA Director Maritime Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh.

Meanwhile, Hiroaki said the visit is expected to foster mutual understanding and promote knowledge sharing between the two crews, in line with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s aspirations to strengthen cooperation between the two maritime agencies.

“In January this year, our Prime Minister Ishiba visited Malaysia, and on that occasion, he specifically mentioned the importance of cooperation between our coast guard agencies. This visit by PV Mizuho is the first by our patrol vessel since that time.

“So we hope to not only enhance and understand mutually how we operate our ships through this exercise, but also to enhance our mutual skills and further deepen the trust and relationship between our two agencies," he said.

PV Mizuho (PLH-41), commissioned in 2019, is a large patrol vessel displacing 6,000 tonnes and measuring 134 metres in length. It is a modern offshore patrol ship equipped for search and rescue operations, maritime law enforcement and command missions.

-- BERNAMA