Indian Naval ships visit Israel ahead of PM's visit

Indian Naval Ships Trishul, Mumbai and Aditya, which were involved in an anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden, reached Haifa in Israel on Thursday and will engage with the Israeli Navy in a series of activities.

The ships, that are on overseas deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and the West Coast of Africa, reach Israel ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the West Asian country in July.

The Task Group is headed by Rear Admiral R.B. Pandit, the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, aboard the guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai.

Indian naval assets have been increasingly deployed in recent times to address the main maritime concerns of the region, including piracy off the coast of Somalia.

In addition, the Indian Navy has also been involved in assisting countries in the Indian Ocean Region with Hydrographic Survey, Search and Rescue and other such capacity-building and capability-enhancement activities.

The current deployment into the Mediterranean will contribute towards the Indian Navy's efforts to consolidate Inter Operability and forge strong bonds of friendship across the seas.

Over the last few decades India has made substantial advances in terms of designing and building warships indigenously and the visiting ships bear testimony to these capabilities. INS Mumbai and Aditya have been designed by the design bureau of the Indian Navy and constructed at Indian shipyards, namely the Mazagon Dockyard Limited in Mumbai, and the Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Limited in Kolkata. The destroyer Mumbai is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors.

--IANS

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