Four ships of the Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron to visit Seychelles |17 March 2017
Four ships of the Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron ̶ Indian Naval Ships (INS) Tir, Sujata, Sudarshini and Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sarathi ̶ will be visiting Seychelles from March 18-22, 2017.
The visit is aimed at boosting bilateral relations between the two countries in the fields of maritime security and defence cooperation.
During the ships’ stay in Victoria, the commanding officers will call on Ambassador Barry Faure, secretary of state in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Brigadier Leopold Payet, chief of defence forces.
While in Seychelles, the ships’ officers and crew members will also be involved in social and charitable activities.
Upon leaving Port Victoria on March 22, the ships are scheduled to take part in a joint training exercise at sea with the Seychelles Coast Guard.
The First Training Squadron, based at Kochi, is tasked with providing basic training to officer cadets and enabling them to earn their ‘sea legs’. The visit to Seychelles aims at providing exposure to the officer trainees onboard the ships in the conduct of warships in foreign waters and port familiarisation.
This visit of First Training Squadron gains unique significance as it is the first visit of INS Sudarshini and ICGS Sarathi to Seychelles. INS Sudarshini is a 54 m long, three masted, sail training vessel, specifically designed to train young officers in seamanship and sailing while instilling in them rich maritime traditions and values of camaraderie, esprit de corps and adventure.
At the helm of the Squadron is the Senior Officer, 1st Training Squadron, Captain DJ Revar. He is assisted by a team of professional and highly motivated officers and sailors who provide direction, experience and focus to the training curriculum of the officer cadets onboard.
While in Port Victoria, the ships will remain open to visitors on Sunday, March 19 from 10am to 3pm. All are cordially invited.