|
The operational phases of Exercise Deep Sabre (XDS) were successfully concluded with the conduct of the sea phase from 15-17 Aug 05 and the port search phase this morning. The exercise officially ends tomorrow with a closing ceremony at Changi Naval Base. XDS is a maritime interdiction exercise that Singapore hosted under the ambit of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).
The sea phase of XDS began on 15 Aug with the deployment of a multinational force of maritime and air assets to detect, localise and track a merchant ship transporting an illegal shipment of dual-use chemicals. Following consent from its flag state, the ship was boarded on 17 Aug by a team from the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Naval Diving Unit (NDU), with follow-on forces from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive (CBRE) Defence Group, the Japan Coast Guard and Australian Customs Service. The ship was subsequently diverted to Singapore for the port search.
The ship was searched at the Pasir Panjang Wharves this morning by a team led by Singapore Customs. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the SAF and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Neptune Orient Lines Ltd (NOL) and PSA Corporation Ltd (PSA) also participated in this phase of the exercise. The port search simulated the identification, unloading, inspection and detention of a container suspected of containing the illegal shipment of dual-use chemicals. Contingency response forces from the SCDF were also activated and placed on standby at Pasir Panjang Wharves.
The successful conclusion of the sea and port search phases of XDS are an indication of the close co-ordination and co-operation among PSI governments and their agencies. The exercise also served to validate the multinational and inter-agency systems and procedures that have been put in place to detect and interdict illegal shipments of WMD-related materials.
|
