Article Posted on : - Jun 27, 2018

NEW DELHI (PTI): Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri has reached the Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, to participate in the 26th edition of Exercise RIM of PACific (RIMPAC), the Navy said on Tuesday.

INS Sahyadri, commanded by Captain Shantanu Jha, is a state-of-the-art indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate which is a part of the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command.

It reached Pearl harbour of the USA on Monday.

Prior to RIMPAC 18, the ship also participated in the 22nd edition of MALABAR 18 exercise in the south-western Pacific region between June 7 and 16.

The RIMPAC is the largest multilateral naval exercise in the world and is held biennially in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Indian Navy's participation in the RIMPAC 18 provides a platform for multilateral operational interactions aimed at increased interoperability and development of common understanding of procedures for maritime security operations, the Navy said in a statement.

The professional exchanges in harbour and diverse range of activities at sea, including complex surface, sub-surface and air operations would enable sharing of best practices and honing of operational skills, it added.

Indian Navy's association with RIMPAC commenced with participation as an observer in 2006 edition. The Navy was observer in the 2010 and 2012 editions too.

In 2014, Indian navy's involvement was enhanced with deployment of Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri for the 24th edition of the exercise.

Subsequently, the 25th edition of the exercise was attended by INS Satpura in 2016. The current edition of the exercise is scheduled off Hawaii from June 27 to August 27, and is likely to be attended by navies of 26 countries.

Participation in RIMPAC 18 is a significant milestone in Indian Navy's efforts towards strengthening mutual confidence among navies of the region and is expected to further bolster India's contribution in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, the Navy added.