As part of the ongoing deployment of Indian Naval Ship Gharial in South West Indian Ocean, under Mission SAGAR IX, the Ship called at Port Victoria, Seychelles from 11 to 14 May 22, the Ministry of Defence said today.

Following up on the proposal received from the Government of Seychelles earlier, three ceremonial Saluting Guns, with ammunition, were delivered by the Ship to the Seychelles Defence Forces. These were formally presented by Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag (retd), India’s high commissioner in Seychelles to Brigadier Michael Rosette the country’s Chief of Defence, in a solemn ceremony held onboard INS Gharial on 13 May 22.

INS Gharial also transhipped one 15 m Wave Rider Patrol Boat, sourced by Seychelles from Colombo and was handed over to Seychelles Defence Forces.

During the stay of the Ship at Seychelles, the Indian Navy facilitated training of the island nation’s defence personnel in domain specific maritime disciplines.

Coming close on the heels of the recent official visit of Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy to Seychelles from 21-23 Apr 22, the activities undertaken during the port call of INS Gharial, amply demonstrate the commitment of Indian Navy in making positive contribution to capacity building and capability enhancement efforts of the Seychelles Defence Forces.

Before calling at Port Victoria, the ship had also visited Colombo, Sri Lanka and Male, Maldives to deliver essential medical supplies.

Successive deployments of the Indian Navy under Mission SAGAR are aligned with the vision of Security And Growth for All in the Region and strengthen the concept of ‘Collective Responsibility’ for maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, the Defence Ministry said.

Also read: India digs its heels in the Indian Ocean with Navy chief's visit to Maldives and Seychelles