Indian Coast Guard ship INS Vijit visits Indonesian port of Sabang

Indian Coast Guard ship INS Vijit is on a four-day visit to the Indonesian port of Sabang to highlight the proximity between the two countries and the strengthening cooperation in maritime security and safety, Indian embassy in Jakarta said Monday.

Commanded by Comdt T Ashish, the ship includes a team of 15 officers and 90 men and is on a visit to Sabang port in Indonesia's Aceh province from March 17 to 20, the embassy said in a statement.

The officers will interact with Bakamla (Indonesian Coast Guard), Indonesian Armed Forces and the civil administration at Sabang, 1,855 kilometers from Jakarta.

"INS Vijit's visit to Sabang highlights the close maritime proximity between India and Indonesia and the strengthening cooperation in the area of maritime security and safety," the statement said.

Indian naval ship INS Sumitra visited Sabang in July last year, highlighting the maritime proximity between India and Indonesia, it said.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Indonesia in May 2018, India and Indonesia arrived at a shared vision of maritime cooperation in the strategic Indo-Pacific to deepen economic and people-to-people exchanges.

Connectivity with Sabang port was identified as a key priority area within that vision, the statement said.

"A series of steps have since been undertaken by both sides to improve maritime cooperation," it said.