Singapore, New Zealand navies conduct joint exercise

The navies of Singapore and New Zealand have been conducting a joint exercise over the past two days, local daily the Straits Times reported on Wednesday. The bilateral exercise in Singapore, codenamed Lion Zeal, involved 265 personnel from the two navies, it said. The Lion Zeal series of exercise, established in 1999, aimed to enhance the inter-operability and professionalism of both navies. Besides professional exchanges in conventional operations, the participants shared best practices in navigation, naval aviation, fire-fighting and damage control, too. The Ministry of Defense said the exercise underscored the close and long-standing bilateral defense relationship between both countries, adding that the two navies interact regularly.