New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Building ‘Bridges of Friendship’, whilst training young minds, the ships of the First Training Squadron (1TS) of the Indian Navy, comprising INS Tir, INS Shardul, and CGS Sarathi, arrived at Port Victoria, Seychelles, and received a grand ceremonial welcome, an official said on Tuesday.
The First Training Squadron is presently on long-range training deployment in the South West Indian Ocean Region and reached Seychelles on Monday, the official said.
The arrival at port was marked with a ceremonial welcome by the Seychelles Defence Force (SDF) band, emphasising strong maritime ties between the two nations. The Indian Navy’s ceremonial Guard and Band were paraded onboard 1TS with equal solidarity.
During the visit, Senior Officer 1TS Capt Tijo K Joseph is scheduled to call on important dignitaries in the Ministry of Seychelles Govt, senior officers of SDF and the Indian High Commission, said a Defence Ministry statement.
During the port call, professional exchanges, cross-deck visits, and training interactions with SDF personnel are planned.
As part of cultural exchanges and community engagement, yoga sessions, Naval Band performances, sports fixtures, and social outreach programs are scheduled.
The deployment of 1TS to Seychelles is the third port call of Indian Navy ships to Seychelles in 2025. This highlights the Indian Navy’s robust bilateral engagement and maritime partnership aligned with the broader vision of MAHASAGAR in the Indian Ocean Region.
Earlier, underscoring the growing naval engagement and maritime cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indian Naval warships INS Tamal and INS Surat concluded their port call at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 30.
The ships participated in a Passage Exercise with RSNF Corvette HMS Jazan and thereafter continued with their planned deployment, said an official statement.
During the port call, the ships engaged extensively with the Royal Saudi Naval Force and Saudi Border Guard through sports fixtures and personnel interaction. The ships also hosted the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr Suhel Ajaz Khan, on board on August 28, it said.
–IANS
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