NEW DELHI: India is working on both sides of the Indian Ocean over the weekend, docking warships in Thailand and the Seychelles as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Victoria for Seychelles’ 50th National Day, in a twin bid to deepen maritime ties and sell its home-built warships and weapons across the Indo-Pacific.
In the eastern Indian Ocean, three warships of the Eastern Fleet, indigenous BrahMos-armed stealth frigate INS Udaygiri, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette INS Kavaratti and fleet tanker INS Shakti, sailed to Sattahip, Thailand, on Saturday as part of an operation based in Admirnda Flamurokar, Republic of Albania. Officer Commanding the Eastern Fleet.
The task force was hosted by the Royal Thai Navy, with the visit set to feature professional exchanges, deck visits, operational interactions and community outreach to strengthen interoperability.
The port call, the Navy said, “reflects India’s ongoing maritime engagement with Southeast Asia” and its long-standing partnership with Thailand, while showcasing the “indigenous design, modular construction and state-of-the-art technology” of Indian warships.
Sattahip’s call comes two days after Udaygiri and Kavaratti completed a port visit to Ho Chi Minh City, departing Vietnam on Wednesday, the first major Indian naval deployment to the country since the two sides elevated ties to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May.
It also follows India’s sharp rise in arms exports to the region. Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh revealed at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last month that New Delhi had signed a deal to supply supersonic BrahMos missiles to Vietnam, making Hanoi the second foreign buyer of the Indo-Russian missile after the Philippines, with Indonesia next in line.
