Indian Naval Ship Sumedha visits Port Klang in Malaysia

As part of the Indian Navy’s long-range operational deployment, INS Sumedha deployed to South East Asia, visited Port Klang, Malaysia on 27 August 2022.

The ship is on her return passage from Perth, Australia where she participated in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

Indian Naval Ship Sumedha’s visit to Port Klang is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, and enhancing maritime cooperation and interoperability between the Indian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).

Both navies have been collaborating on various fronts and are playing a critical role in ensuring Maritime Security and the Safety of the global commons. The bilateral engagements between both navies are on an upswing with the participation of KD Lekiu in MILAN 2022 at Visakhapatnam followed by the conduct of the IN-RMN bilateral maritime exercise Samudra Lakshmana at Kota Kinabalu in May 2022.

During the port call at Port Klang, the crew of INS Sumedha would engage in professional interactions, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE), cross-deck visits and sports fixtures with personnel from the Royal Malaysian Navy. The ship will also be open for the visit of school children. INS Sumedha is also scheduled to participate in a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with RMN Ships.

INS Sumedha is an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel deployed for multiple roles independently and in support of Fleet Operations. She is part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam and functions under the operational command of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.

India and Malaysia share close relations anchored in vibrant people-to-people linkages, shared history and well-established trade relations. While bilateral cooperation continued on various fronts, high-level engagement between the two countries has been limited to virtual interactions in the year amid the pandemic situation in India and Malaysia.

Cooperation in defence and security has become an important pillar of India-Malaysia bilateral cooperation. There have regular exchanges between the armed forces of the two countries.