Indian Naval ships reach Indonesia to boost maritime ties

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet ships INS Shakti and INS Kamorta reached the Port of Makassar, Indonesia for a three-day visit to enhance maritime cooperation between the two navies for security and stability in the region.

Rear Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, NM, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, is heading the fleet ships. This is part of the operational reach and pursuit of India's 'Act East' policy.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the country to elevate bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The professional and social interaction and sports fixtures aim to further bolster India's strong bonds of friendship with Indonesia.

INS Shakti and INS Kamorta are on the last leg of their two-month operational deployment to South East Asia and Western Pacific Ocean. MALABAR-18 has also been included for a trilateral exercise between the Indian Navy, US Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) which was held off Guam, an Island territory of the US in the Pacific Ocean.

INS Sahyadri along with two Eastern Fleet ships left Visakhapatnam port on April 30 visited Singapore, Sattahip (Thailand), Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia), DA Nang (Vietnam), and Guam (U.S.A) over the last two months.

INS Sahyadri has proceeded to Hawaii to participate in Exercise RIMPAC which involves the participation of 26 navies, after the Malabar exercise at Guam.