Indian Naval Ship (INS) Talwar (F40) made a port call at Mina Salman from 15 March to 17 March 21.
In the framework of the deep-rooted friendly ties, multi-faceted and growing cooperation between India and the Kingdom of Bahrain, this visit by INS Talwar provided a boost to the friendly relations.
The ship during its stay at the Port followed all laid down COVID protocols and utilised the time for maintenance and training. The ship’s Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) Team interacted with US Coast Guard Maritime Engagement team (under USN NAVCENT) and visited the ‘Ship-in-a-Box’ facility wherein it exchanged best practices with the professionals from US Coast Guard at Bahrain.
H.E. Mr. Piyush Srivastava, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Bahrain paid a visit to the Indian Ship. Ambassador Piyush Srivastava lauded the dedication and professionalism of team ‘Talwar’ whilst undertaking Op Sankalp and had warm words of appreciation for assistance provided by her to MV Nayan at Sea. He also remarked that the presence of the ship in the Gulf region provides reassurance to the maritime community.
The ship also undertook the Harbour phase for planning the Passage exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Bahrain Naval Force representatives and finalised the schedule of exercises. The ships of the two navies during the PASSEX are undertaking various exercises such as Sail Together, exchange of Signals and manoeuvring at Close quarters. The exercises will foster interoperability and reflect the commitment of both nations to build cooperative partnerships in meeting emergent maritime challenges. It will also serve as a catalyst for future engagements between Indian Navy and Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
The ship continues to be deployed in the Gulf region to support the safe transit of Indian flagged merchant ships through the Gulf region and is in pursuance of Government of India’s commitment towards ensuring the safety of Indian Flagged Merchant vessels.