27 September 2022

Royal Canadian Navy marks first port call in Cambodia

by Ridzwan Rahmat

A file image of HMCS Winnipeg , which made a port call in Cambodia in September 2022, marking the Royal Canadian Navy's first visit to the country. (Michael Nitz – Naval Press Service)

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Halifax-class guided-missile frigate HMCS Winnipeg has concluded its visit to Cambodia, which marked the service's inaugural port call in the country.

The vessel arrived in Cambodia on 25 September and departed the country on 27 September after hosting a series of ship visits, according to information released by an official social media account of the Canadian Armed Forces during this period.

Other activities conducted during the visit include diving and naval boarding party demonstrations by Winnipeg's crew for visiting Royal Cambodian Armed Forces officers.

The service did not indicate the location where Winnipeg was berthed throughout its stay in Cambodia. However, satellite image and geo-localisation analysis of videos and images from the event indicate that the frigate was docked at the Sihanoukville cruise pier during its stay, which is located about 20 km from the Royal Cambodian Navy's Ream Naval Base.

Winnipeg is the RCN's 9th Halifax-class frigate, and the 135 m vessel was commissioned in 1995. It displaces about 4,700 tonne at full load. It can accommodate a crew complement of 215 and one CH-148 Cyclone helicopter in its hangar.

Winnipeg is one of two Halifax-class frigates that have been deployed by the Canadian Armed Forces on a months-long mission in the Asia-Pacific region, which began in August 2022. The mission is known as Operation ‘Projection' and it seeks to build defence relations between Canada and like-minded countries across this region. The other vessel participating in this mission is HMCS Vancouver.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Halifax-class guided-missile frigate HMCS Winnipeg has concluded its v...

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