India gifts its first active warship, the INS Kirpan, to Vietnam

A Kora-class corvette that was with the Indian Navy for 32 years, the INS Kirpan is suited to a variety of roles.

India on Saturday gifted its first active warship to a friendly foreign country with Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar handing over INS Kirpan to the Vietnam People’s Navy as a part of India’s marine diplomacy to counter China’s outreach in the Indian Ocean region.

The formalities were completed at an event at Cam Ranh Bay with the induction of the indigenous missile corvette. The Indian crew will be around for some more time to finish the training of the Vietnamese crew, official sources said.

The maiden gifting of a fully operational corvette by India to any friendly foreign country comes at a time when China is making an all-out effort to increase its sphere of influence among the Indian Ocean countries to establish its supremacy over sea lanes that are crucial for communications and trade.

“Vietnam serves as an important partner in India’s ‘Indo-Pacific Vision’. No ‘single’ nation can unilaterally alter or misinterpret rules to serve its own interests in the Indo-Pacific Region,” Admiral Kumar said in a veiled reference to China’s maritime muscle flexing.

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Vietnam is one of the countries having a stake in the South China Sea (East Sea for Vietnam) where China has territorial disputes with many nations.

In another reference to the communist country’s maritime disputes, Admiral Kumar said, “India gracefully accepted the landmark decision by the International Court of Justice concerning a disputed area in the Bay of Bengal, which gave our neighbour access to a larger-sea area.”

“Such examples set a precedent for resolving future disputes through shared values of peaceful means, abiding by international law and strengthening bonds between two nations,” the Navy chief added.

The warship gift will boost the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that India shares with Vietnam since 2016. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made the announcement last month during the visit of Gen Phan Van Giang, Minister of Defence of Vietnam, to India.

A Kora-class corvette that was with the Indian Navy for 32 years, INS Kirpan is fitted with medium-range and close-range guns, chaff launchers, and surface-to-surface missiles, enabling her to perform a variety of roles, including surface warfare, coastal and off-shore patrolling, coastal security, anti-piracy and humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief operations. She has been handed over to Vietnam with complete weapon complements.

Manned by 12 officers and 100 sailors, the ship is 90 meters long and 10.45 meters in width with a maximum displacement of 1450 tons.

The transfer, sources said, symbolised the status of the Indian Navy being the ‘Preferred Security partner’ in the Indian Ocean Region and would be a catalyst for enhancing the existing bilateral relations between the two navies. The two countries had their first bilateral naval exercise in 2018.

Admiral Hari Kumar will also be visiting Vietnam People’s Navy’s Headquarters at Hai Phong for bilateral interaction with his Vietnam counterpart and call on the Minister of Defence.