Long-held ties strengthened in exercise between Australia and Philippines.

According to a press release published by the Australian Department of Defense on March 15, 2021, HMA ships Anzac and Sirius have completed two separate passage exercises with vessels from the Philippine Navy as part of a two-month deployment throughout the north-east Indian Ocean and South-East Asia
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HMAS Sirius sails past Philippine Navy ship BRP Emilio Jacinto during a passage exercise in the Sulu Sea (Picture source: Australian Department of Defence)

The first passage exercise was recently conducted at dawn with the BRP Juan Magluyan, a Jose Andrada-class patrol boat.

The second passage exercise was completed later that day with BRP Emelio Jacinto, the lead ship of the Philippine Navy’s Jacinto-class corvettes.

Australia's bilateral relationship with the Philippines is one of the nation's longest-standing relationships. This year the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic ties.

Commanding Officer Anzac Commander Brendan Horn said the latest bilateral activity with the Philippines was part of both nations’ commitment to regional maritime security.

Led by Anzac, the Royal Australian Navy task group will conduct a number of further bilateral and multilateral activities, including participating in Exercise La Perouse, a French-led multilateral maritime exercise in the north-east Indian Ocean.

Anzac and Sirius departed Western Australia for the two-month deployment throughout the north-east Indian Ocean and South-East Asia in early March.

HMAS Sirius O 266 (formerly MT Delos) is a commercial tanker purchased by the Royal Australian Navy and converted into a fleet replenishment vessel to replace HMAS Westralia.

Sirius has a full load displacement of 46,775 tonnes, is 191.3 metres (628 ft) in length, with a beam of 32 metres (105 ft) and a draught of 11 metres (36 ft).Propulsion machinery consists of a single propeller shaft driven by a single Hyundai B&W 6S 50MC diesel, supplemented by a bow thruster. Top speed is 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph), and the ship has a range of 16,000 nautical miles (30,000 km; 18,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph). Sirius can carry up to 34,806 cubic metres (1,229,200 cu ft) of fuel, including 5,486 cubic metres (193,700 cu ft) of helicopter aviation fuel, plus 240 tonnes of dry stores carried in a container deck designed for twelve 20-foot (6.1 m) intermodal containers. Modifications by Tenix included the fitting of two replenishment points (one on each side, allowing the underway replenishment of two ships simultaneously), installation of a helicopter deck aft of the superstructure, fitting of the container deck, addition of two 70-man lifeboats and two RHIBs (the latter sourced from Westralia), and modification of the internal layout and equipment to bring it to naval standards. Sirius is armed with five 12.7 mm machine guns for self-defence. The ship's company includes 8 officers and 46 sailors.