NEW DELHI (PTI): An Indian warship was part of a range of naval drills last week with the Spanish Navy near strategically important Cape Trafalgar.

The assets deployed by the Spanish Navy for the maritime partnership exercise included a Cessna maritime patrol aircraft and a Sea King (SH-3D) helicopter, officials said.

"INS Tabar undertook a maritime partnership exercise at sea with the aircraft of Spanish Navy on July 8 near Cape Trafalgar soon after crossing the Straits of Gibraltar," Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

He said several drills such as air defence, vertical replenishment and crossdeck operations were carried out as part of the exercise.

"The exercise was mutually beneficial in enhancing interoperability and towards consolidating combined operations against maritime threats," he said.

Earlier, INS Tabar and Italian frigate ITS Antonio Marceglia carried out a two-day maritime partnership exercise in the Tyrrhenian sea.

The exercise on July 4 and 5 covered a wide range of naval operations, including air defence procedures, replenishment at sea, communication drills and cross deck helo operations by day and night.