INS Tabar deployed for naval exercises in Africa, Europe

In a bid to enhance military cooperation with friendly nations, stealth frigate INS Tabar commenced its prolonged deployment and will visit a number of ports in Africa and Europe till the end of September.

During port visits, Tabar will conduct professional, social and sporting interactions. The ship will also participate in a number of joint exercises with friendly navies.

During the deployment, Tabar will transit across the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea and Baltic Sea, while making port calls at Djibouti, Egypt, Italy, France, UK, Russia, Netherlands, Morocco, and Arctic Council countries like Sweden and Norway.

In addition to Passage Exercises (PASSEX) with host navies of countries being visited, the ship is also scheduled to participate in bilateral exercises like Ex Konkan with the Royal Navy, Ex Varuna with the French Navy and Ex Indra with the Russian Federation Navy.

The deployment will also see the ship participate in the Russian Navy Day celebrations from July 22-27.

The ship will operate in conjunction with the friendly navies, so as to build military relations, develop interoperability and project long-range sustenance. IN undertakes regular overseas deployments particularly in the maritime areas of primary interest. These engagements are aimed to further strengthen maritime security in the region and to consolidate combined operations against maritime threats. These interactions will also offer an opportunity to navies to observe and imbibe the ‘Best Practices’ followed in each other’s Navy.

INS Tabar, is a Talwar-class stealth frigate built for the Indian Navy in Russia. The ship is commanded by Captain M Mahesh and has a complement of 300 personnel. The ship is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors and is among the earliest stealth frigates of the Indian Navy. The ship is part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet which is based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command.