During its maiden operational deployment, the latest multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate of the Indian Navy, INS Tushil, docked in London on its first port of call.
Commodore Robert Bellfield, Royal Navy Commander London and Eastern England, received the Indian Navy warship on behalf of the UK government on Sunday.
Taking to X, Commander Bellfield said the port call is a “demonstration of the close relationship between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy.”
India's Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, Sujit Ghosh, also paid a visit to the warship docked on the river Thames.
The ship, built in Russia and commissioned on December 9 in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, set sail from Kaliningrad on December 17.
The ship will traverse the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and finally, the Indian Ocean, making port calls at several friendly foreign countries along the way.
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The maiden deployment of INS Tushil would involve key charter of the Indian Navy, namely, Diplomatic, military, and constabulary activities. The ship will carry out joint patrolling and maritime partnership exercises with a number of navies en route, including piracy hotspots in the region, the ministry said.
During port calls, the ship will undertake capability-building activities with host Navies and hold interactions with senior military and government leadership. The port calls will also serve to engage with the Indian diaspora spread across the region.
The ministry added INS Tushil's port calls and exercises are aimed at consolidating India's maritime cooperation with littoral countries of the region and reinforcing Indian Navy's commitment to protecting and safeguarding the seafaring community.