KDB ''Syafaat'' (19) is the third ship of the Ijtihad-class

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and th ...

s. The vessel is in active service in the

Royal Brunei Navy The Royal Brunei Navy ( ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei, abbreviated TLDB) is the naval defence force of Brunei Darussalam. It is a small but relatively well-equipped force whose main responsibility is to conduct search and rescue missions and ...

(RBN).

Development

Background

A total of four ''Ijtihad''-class fast patrol boats have been commissioned into service with the

(RBN), where two of the ships began operating since March 2010 followed by another two on 28 August 2010. Two ''Ijtihad''-class fast patrol boats arrived in Brunei Darussalam on 27 August 2010. The boats, named Kapal Diraja Brunei (KDB) ''Syafaat'' and KDB ''Afiat'' were commissioned at the RBN Base in

Muara, Brunei Muara Town ( ms, Pekan Muara) or simply Muara is a port town in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, about from the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population of the town proper was 2,102 in 2016. It is home to Muara Port, the country's primary dee ...

. They are part of the project between the government of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam and

Lürssen Werft Lürssen (or Lürssen Werft) is a German shipyard with headquarters in Bremen-Vegesack and shipbuilding facilities in Lemwerder, Berne and Bremen-Fähr-Lobbendorf. Lürssen designs and constructs yachts, naval ships and special vessels. Tradin ...

. The commissioning ceremony of both vessels was officiated by Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF). Like previous fast patrol boats, KDB ''Syafaat'' and KDB ''Afiat'' were produced in Germany and completed

sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

s. KDB ''Ijtihad'' and KDB ''Berkat'' began operations on 15 March 2010.

Construction and career

KDB ''Syafaat'' was built by

company in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

around the 2009. She is part of the second batch delivered from Germany to Brunei. ''Syafaat'' and KDB Afiat commissioned together on 27 August 2010 at

Muara Naval Base The Muara Naval Base ( ms, Pangkalan Tentera Laut Muara), is a naval base that serves as the main headquarters for the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), which is located in Muara, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It can also be noted that the base sits nea ...

. All four of her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

s work in the

patrol craft A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they ...

role. KDB ''Syafaat'' is commanded by ''Commander Mohammad Zouhdy bin Haji Abdul Razak''.

Exercise PELICAN 2011

Royao Brunei Navy and

Republic of Singapore Navy The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the naval service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any sea-borne threats, and the protection of its sea lines of communications, that would com ...

held ''Ex PELICAN'' from 10 to 13 July 2011 which consists of KDB ''Syafaat'',

KDB Ijtihad KDB ''Ijtihad'' (17) is the lead ship of the s. The vessel is in active service in the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN). Development Background A total of four ''Ijtihad''-class fast patrol boats have been commissioned into service with the Royal Bru ...

and

RSS Stalwart RSS ''Stalwart'' (72) is the fifth ship of the ''Formidable''-class stealth frigate of the Republic of Singapore Navy. Construction and career RSS ''Stalwart'' was built by ST Marine Engineering company in Singapore in the late 2000s. ''St ...

Exercise HELANG LAUT 13/12

KDB ''Syafaat'',

KDB Afiat KDB ''Afiat'' (20) is the fourth and last ship of the s. The vessel is in active service in the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN). Development Background A total of four ''Ijtihad''-class fast patrol boats were commissioned into service with the Royal B ...

, KRI Barakuda and KRI Lemadang participated in the exercise which is held by Royal Brunei Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy from 19 to 23 March 2012.

Exercise PENGUIN 2015

''Exercise PENGUIN'' was held by Royal Brunei Navy and

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. The exercise consists of ships

HMAS Armidale Two ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) have been named HMAS ''Armidale'', for the city of Armidale, New South Wales. * , a launched in January 1942 and sunk by Japanese aircraft on 1 December 1942; the only ship of the class lost to enem ...

, KDB ''Syafaat'' and

KDB Daruttaqwa KDB ''Daruttaqwa'' (09) is the fourth and final ship of the s in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The vessel is in active service in the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN). Offshore patrol vessel programme Brunei Darussalam ordered the s from Lürsse ...

. An exercise was held on 21 to 28 January 2016 by Royal Brunei Navy which consists of KDB Syafaat and

KDB Darulehsan KDB ''Darulehsan'' (07) is the second ship of the offshore patrol vessels in the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The vessel is in active service in the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) (, TLDB). Offshore patrol vessel programme Brunei Darussalam order ...

CARAT 2019

KDB ''Syafaat'',

KDB Darulaman KDB ''Darulaman'' (08) is the third ship of the ''Darussalam''-class offshore patrol vessels in the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The vessel is in active service in the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN). Offshore patrol vessel programme Brunei Darus ...

, USS Millinocket and USS Montgomery conducted ''Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training'' (CARAT) to strengthen the relations between Brunei Darussalam and

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

. It took place in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

on 29 October 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syafaat Fast attack craft Royal Brunei Navy 2009 ships Ships of Brunei