Samudra Shakti: India, Indonesia conducting joint bilateral maritime exercise in Visakhapatnam

The participating units include INS Kavaratti, an Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette of Eastern Fleet under the aegis of Eastern Naval Command (ENC) and the Indonesian Navy Ship KRI John Lie, a Corvette (with an integral helicopter), which arrived at Visakhapatnam to a warm welcome by the ENC.

The harbour phase features a range of activities aimed at building camaraderie and professional rapport that include Cross Deck Visits, Joint Yoga sessions, Friendly Sports fixtures, Professional Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE).

The Sea Phase will involve dynamic and complex maritime operations aimed at increasing tactical coordination, including Helicopter Operations, Air Defence Exercises, Weapon Firing Drills, Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) exercises.

Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ is a key bilateral engagement aimed at enhancing interoperability, strengthening mutual understanding, and sharing best practices between the two navies. The exercise highlights shared commitment of both nations towards maintaining stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Indian Embassy in Indonesia said defence relations between maritime neighbours, India and Indonesia, are a testament to the bilateral cooperation, collaboration and partnership.

Established in 1951, formal agreement in Defence Cooperation was signed in 2001 and renewed in 2006.

Both countries signed MoU on Defence Cooperation during the visit of PM Modi to Indonesia in 2018.