His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam graced the commissioning ceremony of patrol vessel KDB As-Siddiq held at Jetty Bravo of Muara Naval Base on March 21, 2023.
Upon arrival, His Majesty was greeted by Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Singaporean Minister of Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen and senior leadership of the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), as well as from Singapore’s Ministry of Defence and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Commander of the RBAF Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, SAF Chief of Defence Force Melvyn Ong Su Kiat, Chief of the Singapore Navy (RSN) Rear Admiral Sean Wat Jianwen and Acting Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) Captain Haji Mohamad Sarif Pudin bin Matserudin.
The ceremony began with His Majesty receiving the royal salute, followed by the inspection of a parade comprising 110 RBN personnel led by Lieutenant Commander Ahmad Afifi bin Awang Antin, RBN.
The ceremonial proceedings continued at the commissioning dais with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by Director of RBAF Religious Directorate (JAMA’AT) Commander Haji Ainolnizam bin Haji Ibrahim, RBN.
His Majesty then proceeded to deliver a titah and awarded KDB As-Siddiq with its Commissioning Pennant presented to Commanding Officer of KDB As-Siddiq Lieutenant Commander Haji Mohammad Arnold bin Haji Osman, RBN.
This was followed by the inaugural hoisting of the Commissioning Pennant and RBN Ensign, accompanied by the national anthem.
The commissioning was blessed with the call of Azan and the recitation of Doa by the JAMA’AT Director, after which His Majesty was invited for a ship’s tour onboard KDB As-Siddiq.
The ceremony concluded with a group photo on Jetty Bravo with KDB AS-SIDDIQ in the background before proceeding to the RBN Officers’ Mess for an executive session between His Majesty and key leaders from Brunei and Singapore’s ministries of defence, armed forces and navies and a luncheon.
The handing over of the ship, previously known as RSS Brave, is the result of close collaboration between the two armed forces and navies.
The renaming of the ship from RSS Brave to KDB As-Siddiq, which translates to ‘truthful’, holds a profound significance that embodies the strong bilateral relationship between RBN and RSN.
Over the years, the Sultanate and Singapore have worked closely together, built on a foundation of trust, mutual respect, and understanding. These qualities will continue to play a pivotal role in strengthening cooperation between the two nations.
The commissioning ceremony of KDB As-Siddiq marked a significant milestone in defense diplomacy between Brunei and Singapore and in addition, has become an important piece of history of the RBN as well as RBAF’s development.
