Thursday, October 31, 2019

Indian navy ships dock for goodwill visit

From the Business Mirror (Oct 31, 2019): Indian navy ships dock for goodwill visit


The INS Sahyadri

SHIPS from the navy of India made a call at the Port of Manila from October 23 to 26, for their goodwill visit, which comes as a part of the deployment of the said country’s eastern fleet to the Asean and West Pacific.

According to its embassy in the Philippines, both vessels were “indigenously designed and constructed by Indian ship builders.” INS Sahyadri is a guided missile-stealth frigate, while INS Kiltan is an anti-submarine warfare corvette.


Officials from the navies of the Philippines and India exchange pleasantries.

As part of their docking, the ships’ crew members had extensive interactions with their Philippine Navy counterparts, including formal calls on the latter’s leadership, visits to each others’ crafts, as well as operational interactions, such as a table-top exercise in harbor and an exercise at sea. The crew members of both navies bonded over social interactions and sports events hosted by the Philippine Navy.

Ambassador of India to the Philippines Jaideep Mazumdar and Commanding Officer Captain Ashwin Arwind hosted a reception in honor of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, attended by Philippine Army Vice Commander Maj. Gen Reynaldo Aquino, Philippine Fleet Deputy Commander Commodore Wilfredo Burgonio Jr., Naval Staff Chief Commodore Rey de la Cruz, as well as a large number of dignitaries from the diplomatic corps and the local Indian community. Undersecretary for Defense Policy Ricardo R. David visited the ships on October 25.

The embassy noted that the enthusiasm and warmth of activities conducted in Manila were “a true testimony of the strong bonds of friendship shared by both the countries and their navies. [The visit] of these ships to Manila, which came on the heels of the state visit of President Ram Nath Kovind, was much appreciated by various quarters of Philippine government, as well as the Indian diaspora in the country.”

Prior to their arrival in Manila, the ships were deployed for engagements with Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Japan. The ships departed on October 26, to continue with the next phase of their deployment where more engagements are scheduled with Vietnam and Indonesia.

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