INS Shivalik, Kadmatt arrive at Brunei for bilateral exercise with Royal Brunei Navy

Image credit: PTI

New Delhi: In pursuance of India`s `Act East` Policy, Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt arrived at Muara, Brunei on Sunday (August 8) to participate in various bilateral professional interactions and to conduct bilateral exercises with Royal Brunei Navy.

"Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt arrived at Muara, Brunei as part of their deployment to South East Asia on 09 Aug 21. The exercise will provide an opportunity to both the navies to enhance inter-operability, gain from best practices and develop a common understanding of procedures for Maritime Security Operations," India`s defence ministry said in a statement.

"The Indian ships are equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors, can carry multi-role helicopters, and represent the maturation of India`s warship-building capabilities," the statement added.

The harbour interactions and exercises at sea aim to consolidate the strong bond shared by the two navies and would be another step towards strengthening India-Brunei defence relations.

The bilateral exercise would conclude with a Passage Exercise with Royal Brunei Navy at sea on August 12. In the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, all interactions and exercises will be conducted strictly as `non-contact` activities and hence would be devoid of any physical contact between the personnel of participating navies.

Indian Navy Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt are the latest indigenously designed and built, multi-role Guided Missile Stealth Frigate and Anti-Submarine Corvette respectively, and form part of the Indian Navy`s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command.

The two ships are equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors, can carry multi-role helicopters, and represent the maturation of India`s warship-building capabilities.

On completion of bilateral exercise with Royal Brunei Navy, the ships will head to Guam to participate in exercise Malabar-21 with the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF), Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the United States Navy (USN)