The Royal Brunei Navy has officially accepted two Darussalam Class Patrol Vessels, KDB Darussalam and KDB Darulehsan, into its fleet at Lurssen Shipyard, Germany.

The new addition will help enhance the capability of the Royal Brunei Navy to defend the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The 80m-long and 13m-wide Darussalam patrol vessels are propelled by diesel engines, and equipped with surface-to-surface missiles and medium-calibre guns and have an endurance of 21 days at sea.

The new ships will replace the existing Waspada Class missile gun boats, which have been in service for more than 30 years, according to Radio Television Brunei.

The third Darussalam Class ship, Darulaman, will undergo harbour and sea acceptance trials before it is delivered in August this year.

The navy had commissioned four Ijhtihad Class fast patrol boats into service in 2010.