Indian Navy ships in Myanmar for joint patrol

YANGON (MYANMAR): Two Indian Navy ships are on a visit to Myanmar as part of ongoing bilateral mechanisms between the two countries to maintain maritime security and enhance mutual understanding.

INS Kulish and INS Battimalv along with an Indian Navy Dornier aircraft are in Myanmar from September 24-26 for the opening ceremony of the seventh India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol, the Indian Embassy in Yangon said in a release.

The coordinated patrol is to maintain maritime security within respective sides of the maritime boundary and to enhance mutual understanding between the two navies through operational exchange, it said.

Commodore Ashutosh Ridhorkar, Naval Component Commander, Port Blair, is the senior officer on board INS Kulish.

INS Kulish is the third of indigenously-manufactured Kora Class guided missile corvettes, commissioned into the Navy in 2001, and presently based at Port Blair.

Equipped with a multitude of weapons and sensors, the ship is also designed to embark indigenously-manufactured Dhruv (ALH) and Chetak helicopters. Cdr Deepak Bali is in command of Kulish and heads a crew of over 120 personnel, the release said.

INS Battimalv is a fast attack craft with a top speed of over 28 knots commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2006. The ship undertakes regular patrolling and surveillance missions in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, and is commanded by Lieutenant Commander M C Chandeep, who heads a crew of over 50.