The Philippine and Malysian Navies will hold ten-day military exercises, Malphi-Laut 14-11, at the Sulu Sea, east of Palawan, Philippines, from 16 March 2011.

Philippine Navy spokesman Captain Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said the exercises would be conducted in two phases, harbour and sea, along with live fire exercises.

The first five-day harbour phase would include the arrival of Royal Malaysian Navy ships, the opening ceremony, staff training and indoor discussions and briefings at Puerto Princesa, according to Malaya.

The second phase would include ship manoeuvres, boarding and seizure training, maritime interdiction operations, replenishment of provisions at sea, gun-firing exercises, and navigational and communication exercises.

Two Philippine naval ships, an Islander plane, and the navy’s elite force special operations group (SOG) team along with three Malaysian fast attack craft and a Malaysian navy SOG team, will participate in the exercises.

The objective of the annual exercise is to strengthen the relationship and enhance the mutual cooperation between the navies through the development of combined operational doctrine, practices and naval tactics.