Indian Navy warship joins 50-nation exercise in Gulf region to keep sea lanes safe

INS Trikand is participating in the International Maritime Exercise/ Cutlass Express 2023 (IMX/CE-23) being held in the Gulf region from 26 Feb to 16 March 23, according to a Defence Ministry statement issued today.

The Indian Navy ship will exercise with participants from over 50 nations and international maritime agencies with the common aim of enhancing maritime security and keeping sea lanes in the region safe for maritime commerce, the statement explained.

IMX/CE-23 is one of the largest multinational maritime exercises in the world in which the Indian Navy will be participating for the first time.  This also marks the second occasion where an Indian Naval ship is participating in an exercise conducted by the combined maritime force (CMF). Earlier, in Nov 2022, INS Trikand had participated in the CMF led Operation Sea Sword 2.

Participation in exercises like Sea Sword 2 and IMX/CE-23 enables the Indian Navy in strengthening relationships and  enhancing  interoperability and collective maritime capability with maritime partners in the Indian Ocean region (IOR). It also enables the Navy to contribute constructively to regional stability and security, the statement added.