Japan School Kuala Lumpur (JSKL) students and family members celebrate the arrival of the JS Uraga and its escort ship JS Takashima at Port Klang.
PORT KLANG: The Japanese Minesweeping mother ship, the JS Uraga (MST-463) arrived in South Port here today for a three-day goodwill visit to Malaysia.
The vessel from the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (MSDF) Minesweeper
Division 51 was accompanied by minesweeper, JS Takashima (MSC-603) which is
designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines.
The commanding officer of both vessels, Captain Toshihiro Takaiwa who leads more than 170 crew members on board, said the mine warships arrived at Port Klang for a goodwill visit and replenishment before taking part in a United States-led mine countermeasures exercise in the Middle East.
“We hope to improve our participants minesweeping skills through the exercise called the International Mine Countermeasures Excercise 2016 to be held in Bahrain soon,” he told a media conference on board the JS Uraga here today.
Also present were Japanese ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Makio Miyagawa and Japanese school children based in Kuala Lumpur who were taken on a guided tour on board the JS Uraga.
Commissioned in 1997, the JS Uraga, which made a port call to Malaysia more than three years ago, is the lead ship of the Uraga class minesweeper ships.
Serving as a logistics and support ship for the minesweeper, JS Takashima’s main functions are refueling, food and carrying various mission-related equipment.
Apart from mine warfare, the 5,650-ton Uraga ship measuring 141m in length and 22m in width, is said to have extensive medical facilities and a decompression chamber for divers besides being able to command and logistically support a fleet of 12-15 minesweepers. – Bernama