KDB ''Afiat'' (20) is the fourth and last ship of the 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 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 the ...

s were 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, given the

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the Word stem, stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy'' ...

(KDB) and named and ''Afiat'' were commissioned by the

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 ...

. They are part of the project between the government of 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

Aminuddin Ihsan Aminuddin Ihsan () is a former Bruneian commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces who serves from 2009 until 2014 and also the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports from 2018 until 2022. Biography Early life and education Aminuddin Ihsa ...

, the then Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF / ABDB). Like previous fast patrol boats, ''Syafaat'' and ''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. and began operations on 15 March 2010.

Construction and career

''Afiat'' was built by Lürssen Werft company in Germany around 2009. She is part of the second batch of two vessels delivered from Germany to Brunei Darussalam. ''Afiat'' and ''Syafaat'' were commissioned together on 27 August 2010 at

. All four ships work in the patrol craft role.

Exercise Hornbill 21/2011

The

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of o ...

and Royal Brunei Navy concluded the

military exercise A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the com ...

Exercise Hornbill from 19 to 23 December 2011, which consisted of ''Afiat'', ''Ijtihad'', KD ''Kedah'', and KD ''Ganas''.

Exercise PELICAN 2013

The

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 comprom ...

and the Royal Brunei Navy held a naval exercise which consists of ''Afiat'', {{KDB, Darulehsan, 07, 32}, RSS ''Tenacious'', and RSS ''Valour'' in March 2013.{{Citation needed, date=October 2020

2017 rescue

On 12 June 2017, ''Afiat'' responded to an SOS call of five local fishermen who were drifting at sea after the engines on their boat stopped working. ''Afiat'' rescued and took all fishermen back to land in good health. This is the second successful mission of this type completed by the Royal Brunei Navy.{{Cite news, url=http://www.mindef.gov.bn/Lists/News/4123_.000?ID=4123, title=KDB Afiat rescued five stranded local fishermem, website=MinDef.gov.bn, publisher= Ministry of Defence Brunei Darussalam, date=12 June 2017, access-date=25 July 2020

References

{{Reflist

External links

{{Commons category-inline, 20 KDB Afiat (2009) {{Ijtihad-class patrol boats {{Portal bar, Asia, History {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Afiat, KDB Ships of Brunei Fast attack craft 2009 ships