Indian warship docks in Thailand amid Navy chief visit to Indian Ocean Naval Symposium

Bangkok [Thailand], December 20 (ANI): Indian warship INS Kadmatt docked at Thailand’s Bangkok port on Tuesday to bolster the Indo-Thai maritime cooperation in the North Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea and enhance interoperability between both the navies, Ministry of Defence said.
During the visit, the harbour activities are also scheduled during the operational turnaround including a cross-ship visit by personnel from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), Academy and a planning conference for maritime partnership exercise (MPX).
Additionally, Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, will be visiting INS Kadmatt on December 21 to interact with the crew of the ship, said Ministry.
INS Kadmatt is the second of the four indigenous ASW corvettes of the Indian Navy. Commissioned on Jan 7, 2016, the ship has participated in numerous joint naval exercises with friendly nations, contributing to regional security and fostering maritime ties.
The ship is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and a sensor package, enabling her to carry out a wide range of missions. The ship is part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam and functions under the command of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
Chief of the Naval Staff Kumar is leading a three-member Indian Naval delegation for the 8th edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs (CoC). The IONS Conclave of Chiefs (CoC) is being hosted by the Royal Thai Navy in Thailand’s Bangkok from December 19-22.
The 8th Conclave is being attended by the Chiefs of Navies and Heads of Maritime Agencies of IONS countries, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release. During the conclave, the IONS chairmanship will be transferred from France to Thailand.
On departure from Bangkok, the ship will undertake MPX with HTMS Rattanakosin, a corvette of the Royal Thai Navy.
A seminar on the theme ‘Blue Economy: Ways Forward for Sustainable Development of IONS Member States’, is being conducted on the sidelines of the IONS Conclave of Chiefs (CoC).
Cmde Manmeet S Khurana, Cmde (Foreign Cooperation) from the Indian Navy will present a paper on ‘Security is Foundation for Peaceful and Sustainable Blue Economy’.
Various bilateral interactions will also be conducted on the sidelines of the Conclave to facilitate a greater degree of maritime cooperation and understanding between the IONS countries. India will take over the Chair of IONS (2025-27) during the 9th CoC planned to be conducted in India at the end of 2025.
In 2008, the Indian Navy conceived the IONS as a forum that seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among Navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean region, according to the Ministry.
The MoD press release said, “IONS provides an open and inclusive platform for discussions on regionally relevant maritime issues that would lead to common understanding on the way ahead. The inaugural edition of IONS was held in New Delhi in 2008, with the Indian Navy as the Chair for two years. (ANI)