Indian naval ship Sharda arrives in Seychelles with gifts of India-Seychelles friendship |06 November 2023
The INS Sharda is expected in Port Victoria today
Indian naval ship (INS) Sharda is making a port call at Victoria from today Monday, November 6 to November 10, 2023, which will be followed by joint surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) from November 11 to 14, 2023.
This is in accordance with the practice between SDF and Indian Navy of undertaking bi-annual deployment towards joint patrolling of the Seychelles’ EEZ for the past few years, which is a significant pillar of the defence cooperation between the two countries.
During the port call, the commanding officer of INS Sharda will call on the Chief of Defence Forces, Brigadier Michael Rosette, and other senior officers of the SDF. While in Seychelles, the crew will also take part in special yoga session, cross visit with SDF, on the job training and community service.
The ship will be open for public viewing on November 7, 2023.
INS Sharda has also transhipped four life rafts of the Seychelles Air Force that have been recently serviced in India as well as spare ammunitions requested by SDF. These will be handed over in an official ceremony to the Chief of Defence Forces, Brigadier Rosette.
INS Sharda, an offshore patrol vessel (OPV), is based in Kochi under the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. The ship is designed to undertake fleet support operations, anti-piracy patrol, coastal and offshore patrolling, monitoring of sea lines of communication and EEZ surveillance, protection of offshore assets, HADR and logistics support operations.
INS Sharda’s visit is the fifth port call of an Indian navy ship to Seychelles in 2023. This highlights the robust nature of the bilateral defence engagement and partnership to mitigate common maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean.