Indian Navy’s Western Fleet Ships Visit United Arab Emirates

Indian Navy’s Western Fleet Ships Visit United Arab Emirates 


Indian Naval Ships Deepak, Delhi, Tabar and Trishul entered Dubai today and shall remain there till 08 Sep 15. The ships are part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet based at Mumbai and are on a long-range deployment to the Persian Gulf to enhance bilateral ties with friendly regional navies. During the visit, the warships are scheduled to have professional interactions with the defence forces of the host countries for enhancing co-operation and sharing the nuances of naval operations including disaster management and combating maritime threats of terrorism and piracy. Apart from professional interactions, sports and social engagements are also planned, which are aimed at enhancing co-operation and understanding between the Navies. 

India has an ancient maritime tradition and maritime interaction with the Gulf countries dates back to over 4000 years B.C. Present day Indian Navy has close and friendly ties with all navies in the Gulf and has been regularly exercising with many of them. The Indian Navy is also privileged to provide training and hydrographic support to several navies in the region. The involvement of Indian Naval ships in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia since October 2008 has further strengthened bilateral ties and interaction with navies in the region 

Bilateral relations between India and UAE have existed for a long time with treaties and agreements on extradition, mutual legal assistance in criminal and civil matters, judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters, combating trafficking in narcotics, civil aviation, cultural exchange and information cooperation. UAE is today India’s second largest trading partner and naval cooperation between the two countries have increased steadily since the inaugural Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks in Jan 07, which covered the entire gamut of IN-UAEN cooperation. Frequent port visits by naval ships of both countries, visit by Service Chiefs and training of UAE naval officers has further bolstered naval cooperation between the two countries. India and UAE are also members of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS); a voluntary and co-operative initiative between 35 countries of the Indian Ocean Region. IONS has served as an ideal forum for sharing of information and cooperation on maritime issues. The current visit seeks to underscore India’s peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly countries in the Gulf and strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between India and UAE. 

The Indian Navy today has multi-dimensional capability comprising aircraft carriers, modern ships, submarines, aircraft and marine commandos. A notable feature of the Indian Navy’s force structure is the fact that an overwhelming majority of its ships are designed and constructed in India. 

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INS Trikand to Participate in Exercise ‘Konkan 2015’ 

The Indian Navy (IN) and the Royal Navy (RN) have an unparalleled history of interactions due to our shared heritage. Recent operational interactions between the IN and the RN started in 2004 with the institutionalisation of Exercise KONKAN, named after the Western coastal region of India. Since then, the two navies have been meeting regularly at sea and the exercise has grown in complexity, scale and intensity after more than a decade of exercising together. These exercises, hosted in rotation by both the Navies, also provide opportunities for professional and cultural interaction between personnel. The bonds developed through such events further strengthen the established mechanisms of maritime cooperation between the two navies, while pursuing common goals of keeping the seas around us safe and secure. 

Both the Navies share many common concerns such as protection of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), threats to maritime trade and commerce from piracy, illegal immigration and maritime terrorism. Maritime interactions under the aegis of KONKAN series of exercises have promoted synergy and inter-operability between the two Navies. The exercise also provides valuable opportunity to practice a wide range of maritime operations in realistic conditions. 

KONKAN aims to promote mutual understanding and provide exposure to each others’ operating procedures, communication procedures and best practices. This allows the Navies to develop greater confidence to operate together, if required, during complex maritime missions. Periodic conduct of this exercise has helped to build on past experiences and further advance professional as well as operational engagements between the two navies. Such engagements between the two navies symbolize the growing friendship of two major powers in the world, with an aim to maintain peace and stability especially in the Indian Ocean Region.

This year, the IN will be represented in the exercise by a guided missile frigate, INS Trikand with integral helicopter and a team of marine commandos. The RN would be represented by HMS Iron Duke, an auxiliary vessel, a nuclear submarine and other shore based assets. 

KONKAN 2015, the 10th edition in KONKAN series, will be conducted from 05 - 11 Sep 15, in two phases. The harbour phase at Devonport will involve professional exchanges, exercise planning conferences, sporting fixtures and socio-cultural events. The elaborate sea phase to be held off the South Coast of UK, will involve surface, sub-surface and air exercises of varying complexities. Explosive Ordinance Teams of both navies will also participate in the exercise. 

The benefits of our operational interaction are clearly visible as both the Navies today have an improved and steadfast understanding. KONKAN 15 will further enhance our capability to work together at sea in complex situations and also contribute towards maritime security in the global commons. 

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INS Trikand Makes Port Call at Devonport, United Kingdom 

Towards bolstering the robust ties between the United Kingdom and India, a frontline warship of the Indian Navy, INS Trikand will make port calls at Devonport, Portsmouth and London between 05 to18 Sep 15. The visiting ship, as part of an overseas deployment (OSD), has entered the port of Devonport (UK) today with an objective of taking part in the annual bilateral exercise between the Royal Navy and the Indian Navy, termed as KONKAN series of exercises. Whilst at London, the ship would represent India at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition, being held from 14 Sep to 18 Sep 15. The last port of call of the ship was Valencia (Spain) where she spent three days. 

The KONKAN series began in 2004 and the previous exercise, KONKAN 2013, was conducted off Goa. KONKAN 2015 is the 10th edition and will be conducted from 05 – 11 Sep 15, hosted by RN, in two phases. Periodic conduct of this exercise has helped to build on past achievements to further advance professional as well as operational engagements between the two navies. The professional and cultural bonds developed through such interactions strengthens the established mechanisms of maritime cooperation between IN and RN while pursuing common goals of keeping the seas around us safe and secure. 

India and the United Kingdom have upgraded their bilateral relationship to that of a Strategic Partnership in September 2004. Since then, the two sides have had a number of high level bilateral visits and interactions resulting in a rapid growth in relations across a broad spectrum. Active defence cooperation at the Services level has been a hallmark of the growing ties between both the countries. 

INS Trikand, commanded by Captain Vinay Kalia, is a state-of-the-art warship of the Indian Navy equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable of addressing threats in all the three dimensions – air, surface and sub-surface. The visiting ship is part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet and is under the operational command of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, with its Headquarters at Mumbai.