By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, March 16
Algerian Navy Patrol Ship “El Moutassadi” visited Mumbai from Monday thru Thursday during which the crew interacted with their Indian counterpart and also visited Naval heritage museum located at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai and the Aircraft Carrier Dock.
The ship was under the command of Commandant Takia Fouad and Colonel Arabi Belhamed, Commander of the Anti-Submarine Division of the Algerian Navy. Algerian Navy ships had earlier visited Kochi (Kerala) in 2016.
Mr. Adel Bouda, Chargé d’ Affaires, Embassy of Algeria, New Delhi, Colonel Arabi Belhamed, Senior Officer present onboard and Commandant Takia Fouad, the Commanding Officer, called on Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Chief of Staff, Headquarters Western Naval Command on Wednesday.
They interacted with Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, over several matters of mutual interest. During the stay at Mumbai, professional interactions were held wherein both sides gained immensely from their experience-sharing, an official statement read.
Over the decades, India and Algeria have cooperated in various international forums and initiatives, most notably the Non-Aligned Movement, and supported each other in numerous international events. “It is hoped that the visit of El Moutassadi will strengthen cooperation between the two navies and enhance their interoperability in the maritime domain further. Both navies nurture an abiding interest in maintaining peace and stability in their respective regions and remain committed to working together to further this objective”, the statement added..
“Exercise Sea Dragon 2023”
In another development, Indian Navy’s P8I aircraft reached Guam, USA on March 14, to participate in “Exercise Sea Dragon 2023”, the third edition of the coordinated multi-lateral anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise for Long Range MR ASW aircraft, conducted by the US Navy.
The exercise scheduled from March 15 to March 30, would stress on coordinated anti-submarine warfare amongst the participating countries. The complexity and scope of these exercises has increased steadily over the past years to include advanced ASW drills.
“Exercise Sea Dragon 2023” seeks to test the capabilities of participating aircraft in tracking simulated and live underwater targets, whilst also sharing mutual expertise. The Exercise would witness representation by an Indian Navy P8I, along with P8A of the US Navy, P1 from the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, CP 140 from the Royal Canadian Air Force and P3C from the RoKN.
Exercise aims to achieve high levels of synergy and coordination between the friendly navies, which is based on their shared values and commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific, the official statement read.
