Indian Navy ships in Saudi Arabia to boost maritime ties

NEW DELHI: Three warships of the Indian Navy today arrived at Jeddah to carry out an extensive engagement with the Saudi Arabian Navy as part of a decision of the two countries to ramp up overall defence cooperation.

INS Mumbai, INS Trishul and INS Aditya are currently on an overseas deployment to the West Coast of Africa and the Mediterranean Sea.

"The warships will engage extensively with the Saudi Arabian Navy during their stay in the country," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said.

Indian Naval assets have been increasingly deployed in recent times to address the various maritime concerns of the region, including piracy off the coast of Somalia.

#BridgesofFriendship IN warships Mumbai, Trishul & Aditya enter Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after successful deployment in Mediterranean Sea #SAGAR pic.twitter.com/kt0KNMrZZI

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) May 16, 2017

"The current deployment into the Mediterranean will contribute towards the Indian Navy's efforts to consolidate inter operability and forge strong bonds of friendship across the seas," Sharma said.