Commercially-operated ship arrives to support Armed Forces, Navy training

8 months ago 451

Updated

May 17, 2024, 07:35 PM

Published

May 17, 2024, 07:35 PM

SINGAPORE - It is not a typical navy ship bristling with guns or missiles. But the Mentor is the latest ship to join the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and will be used to train NSmen and take part in exercises and operations.

The Roll-On, Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) cargo ship called into Changi Naval Base – officially known as RSS Singapura – a few days ago according to a Facebook post by the Navy on May 16.

Ro-Ro ships are designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars and trucks that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels.

Ship tracking website Vesselfinder lists the Mentor as having a length of 193m, a beam (breadth) of 26m and has a gross weight of 23,235 tonnes.

According to the Navy, the Mentor is expected to support NSmen’s training in various competencies such as bridge watchkeeping, navigation and shipboard drills.

Bridge watchkeepers usually include lookouts and a deck officer who is responsible for the safe navigation of a ship out at sea.

The Mentor will also be used to support Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Navy’s exercises in maritime operations.

In response to queries from the Straits Times, a Ministry of Defence (Mindef) spokesman said that the ship has been leased on a commercial arrangement.

Mindef did not say where it has been leased from, but a check with ship information system Equassis shows that Singapore-based Hong Lam Marine Pte Ltd owns it.

The company owns, operates and manages ships used primarily by the oil and chemical industry.

The company bought the ship in 2023 and renamed it...

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