(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – The Royal Canada Navy warship, HMCS Ottawa, which was involved in a “tense encounter” with Chinese warships in the Taiwan Strait, will make a stopover in Kota Kinabalu next month.
The visit to Kota Kinabalu is part of its Indo-Pacific strategy to enhance defense relations with countries in the region.
Senior Canadian Embassy official in Malaysia, Robert Bisset, was quoted by local media as saying that the Halifax-class frigate based in Japan will arrive in Kota Kinabalu from October 11 to 14.
Bisset added that the ship’s crew would also engage in various activities with the local community and that plans were underway for joint activities with the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Before reaching Kota Kinabalu, HMCS Ottawa will also make a stopover in the Philippines and then proceed to Singapore after its visit to Kota Kinabalu.
Commissioned in 1996, HMCS Ottawa is one of the 12 Ottawa-class frigates owned by the Royal Canadian Navy.
With an operational weight of 4,795 tons, the frigate has been deployed to participate in Indo-Pacific operations for four months and is temporarily based at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.
With a crew of 255 personnel, the Royal Canadian Navy frigate is equipped with various weapon systems, including anti-ship guided missiles “Harpoon,” torpedoes for anti-submarine operations, and the Evolved Sea-Sparrow Missile (ESSM) defense system.
Additionally, it features a 57mm main gun, a Vulcan 20mm Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), and a 12.7mm heavy machine gun.
On September 6, just a few days after leaving its temporary base in Yokosuka in Japan, HCMS Ottawa was involved in a “tense encounter” with Chinese warships as it passed through the Taiwan Strait alongside the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-destroyer USS Ralph Johnson.
Upon entering the waters of the Taiwan Strait that separates Taiwan from China, both the U.S. and Canadian warships were “shadowed” by three armed Chinese warships for a 17-hour journey through the strait. Taiwanese Navy warships were also present during this transit.
“Sailing through the Taiwan Strait is to demonstrate that the Indo-Pacific is free and open to all. It is our goal to show that,” said Commander HMCS Ottawa, Sam Patchell.
The Taiwan Strait is approximately 160 kilometers wide and separates Taiwan from China. Beijing claims sovereignty over all of Taiwan and the strait, and any attempt to sail through the Taiwan Strait without their permission is viewed as a provocation.
Before entering the Taiwan Strait, China deployed its Luyang-class destroyer to monitor HCMS Ottawa, and the Chinese warship came within approximately 1 kilometer of the Canadian warship.
This action by the Chinese warship prompted HCMS Ottawa to initiate a “collection of intelligence information” mission against the Chinese warship. — DSA