The Indian Naval Ship Vessel INS Sunayna’ participated for the first time in the world’s largest multinational naval partnership, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) exercise conducted in the Indian Ocean island country Seychelles.
As part of Operation Southern Readiness organised by Combined Maritime Forces, India’s INS Sunayna participated in the capacity-building exercise at Seychelles from September 24 to 27 2022, the ministry of defence said in a statement.
INS Sunayna reached Seychelles, an island off the coast of East Africa on September 26 to participate for the first time in the annual training exercise ‘Operation Southern Readiness’.
“Participation in the maiden training exercise is for strengthening the Indian navy’s commitment to security in the Indian Ocean region”, the ministry of defence expressed in the statement.
In the annual training exercise, participants’ countries are the US, Italy, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, Spain and India.
CMF is guiding Operation Southern Readiness in collaboration with the Seychelles People’s Defence Force, European Union Naval Force and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime also participated in the exercise.
The Navy forces of participatory nations will conduct training on maritime law and information sharing, search and rescue operations, search and seizure techniques, and boarding a ship.
Indian Navy’s surveillance plan, P8-I landed at Seychelles for commitment to joint surveillance on the plea of the government of Seychelles.
INS Sunayna commissioned in 2013
INS Sunayna, the second of the Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel class of ship was Commissioned in 2013 at Kochi port.
INS Sunayna comes under the second Saryu Class Patrol Vessel of the Indian Navy constructed and designed indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited.
Patrol vessel is designed for enterprise fleet support operations, offshore and coastal patrolling, monitoring of sea lines of communications, ocean surveillance and offshore assets and escort duties.
The laying of the keel, the formation recognition of the start of a ship’s construction was done on 25 September 2007.
It took two years for construction and was launched on 14 November 2009 and was handed over to the Navy for sea trials on 3 September 2013.
INS Sunayna belongs to Southern Naval Command and was constructed at Goa Shipyard Limited.
The ship was got commissioned into active service on 15 October 2013 at Kochi port. Naval vessels will be useful in increasing ocean surveillance and patrolling requirements of the Indian Navy.
Deployed for anti-piracy operations
The naval patrol vessel deployed for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
As part of Operation ‘Nistar’ during cyclone Mekunu in June 2018, a High availability disaster recovery mission to evacuate around 38 stranded Indian nationals in and around Yemen’s Socotra Island and various parts of Oman
Along with INS Chennai, INS Sunayna was involved in the protection of Indian shipping interests in the middle of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
In the Navy Patrol vassal, two Pielstick engines are used to achieve speed in excess of 25 knots.
The ship also has an automated power management system and is installed with the latest navigation communication and electronic support system.
The navy patrol vassal can also carry a helicopter. the Commanding Officer of the ship leads a crew of eight officers and about 108 sailors who are accommodated in ergonomic cabins, which provide greater crew comfort with improved management of space.
34 Member nations
CMF has 34 member nations, whose forces operate in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Northern Arabian Sea and the Red Sea.
The member nations support international rules-based order to protect regional maritime security, discourage illicit activity by non-state actors and free flow of commerce.
