Jakarta (Indonesia Window) - Indonesian Navy and its Turkish counterpart held a joint passing exercise (passex) in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday (Aug 6), according to a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs citing the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara.

Passex is an exercise undertaken to ensure that the two navies can communicate and cooperate in times of war or humanitarian assistance.

The joint exercise involved Indonesian peace keeping force of Garuda Contingent (Konga) XXVIII-L /UNIFIL 2019 who serve on Indonesian navy ship Sultan Hasanuddin-366 (SHN) when they made the 28th voyage on task to Mersin, Turkey.

The joint training materials included flag hoists, manoeuvring exercises and mailbag transfers.

The joint exercise was also supported by the Dauphin AS-365 N3+ HR-3601 helicopter crew who were on board at the Sultan Hasanuddin-366.

The joint passex training is a tradition of the and Indonesian Turkish Navies as an effort to strengthen friendship between the two countries.

At the end of the exercise, Sultan Hasanuddin 366 made a breakaway out at high speed to then return to the Area of ​​Maritime Operation (AMO) operational area in Lebanese waters, as the nation's ambassador to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The Indonesian ship Sultan Hasanuddin-366 has served in Lebanon as part of UNIFIL for eight months and regularly visits Turkey to acquire logistics.

Reporting by Indonesia Window