Indian Naval ships visit Singapore

Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri, Shivalik, Jyoti and Kamorta, on overseas deployment to Southeast Asia and the Southern Indian Ocean, arrived here on Friday, a navy statement said.

The ships, under the command of Eastern Fleet commander Rear Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, will be in Singapore till May 21, the statement said .

During their stay in Singapore, the ships will participate in the International Maritime Review and Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference IMDEX-17.

Indian Navy chief, Admiral Sunil Lanba will also be attending the events ashore.

During the port visit, various calls by the visiting Fleet would be organised in addition to those scheduled as part of IMR and IMDEX-17. Various other activities such as official calls, formal reception on board ships, tours for visitors, and professional interaction between naval personnel of both the nations have been planned.

After this, the four Indian ships and an Indian navy long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft P-8l would exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) as part of bilateral exercise SIMBEX-17.

Held since 1994, this year would be the 24th edition of the annual maritime bilateral exercise, which aims to further cement their defence cooperation.

"The visit of the Indian Naval Ships seeks to underscore India's peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly and harmonious countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain," the statement said.

Indian Naval assets have been increasingly deployed in recent times to address the main maritime concerns of the region. Also, as part of the Indian Government's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), the Navy has also been involved in assisting countries in the Indian Ocean Region with EEZ Surveillance, Search and Rescue, and other capacity-building and capability-enhancement activities.

Of the ships that have been deployed, INS Sahyadri, a multi-role stealth frigate, is commanded by Captain Anil Jaggi while INS Kamorta, an anti-submarine warfare corvette is commanded by Commander Vipin Gupta. Both ships are indigenously designed and built.

The last visit by an Indian Naval Ship to Singapore was by INS Satpura in September 2016.

--IANS

ao/vd