NEW DELHI: INS Sunayna, designated as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR ship, entered the Port of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on April 12. The ship had sailed from Karwar, Karnataka, on April 5 with 44 naval personnel from nine Friendly Foreign Nations (FFNs) of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), embarked as part of the ship’s crew. The FFN include Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and South Africa, according the Ministry of Defence.IOS SAGAR was accorded a warm welcome by RAdm AR Hassan, Chief of Tanzania Navy, Rear Admiral Nirbhay Bapna, ACNS (FCI) and Commodore Agyapal Singh, Defence Attaché for Tanzania, alongside dignitaries from the Indian High Commission and Tanzania People Defence Force, the ministry said in a media release on Sunday.
During this port call, the ship will also participate in the harbour phase of Exercise AIKEYME, a key naval exercise which will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of State for Defence Shri Sanjay Seth on Sunday. The exercise will focus on enhancing operational coordination, refining joint strategies and improving interoperability in maritime operations. Two of the Indian Navy ships, INS Chennai (Destroyer) and INS Kesari [Landing Ship Tank (Large)], will also be participating in the exercise alongside INS Sunayna, it said.
The participation of personnel from FFNs onboard INS Sunayna further underscores the significance of this initiative in promoting global maritime cooperation. Through such exercises and engagements, the Indian Navy remains committed to advancing collective maritime security, fostering goodwill and ensuring the free and safe movement of shipping lanes in the region.
The ship will depart Dar-es-Salaam on Monday for next port of call, Nacala, Mozambique to continue with IOS SAGAR mission, it added.
