Chennai:
In
a bid to strengthen navy-to-navy ties with Association of South East Asian
Nations, INS Sudarshini began its nine nation ASEAN voyage extending India’s
hand of trust and friendship.
Launched
as India’s goodwill ambassador at sea to cement ties with ASEAN, the ship
sailed off from Chennai port as the clouds poured in and the naval band
hummed ‘Sara Jahan se Acha Hindustan Hamara’.
Vice-Admiral
and director general naval projects, V K Namballa, Ministry of External Affairs
joint secretary (ASEAN) Renu Pall, naval-officer-in-charge (Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry) Commodore Amar K Mahadevan and heads of missions of ASEAN countries
bid adieu to ship and its crew, which began its journey from Kochi on September
15.
During
the 127 day sailing odyssey, INS Sudarshini, the latest tall sail training ship
(STS) of Indian Navy, will boost the existing defence ties by laying the ground
for navy-to-navy ties with Indonesia, Myanmar, Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, a ministry of external affairs (MEA)
source said.
Manned
by five officers, including the commanding officer of vessel N Shyam Sundar,
and 31 sailors besides 30 naval and coast guard cadets, the voyage is part of a
bevy of events lined up by various central agencies and trade bodies in the
build-up to the forthcoming ASEAN-India Special Commemorative Summit beginning
on December 21. Sailing through the ancient route undertaken by mighty Cholas
to south east Asia, the ship is expected to log 12,217 nautical miles before
berthing back to Kochi on March 29 next year.
Named
after the Sanskrit word Sudarshini meaning ‘A beautiful lady’, the ship is
designed by famous naval architect and British national Colin Mudie and was
built in Goa shipyard. It carries a total of 20 sails with a total sail area of
965 square metres.
Admiral
Namballa said the ship will take on board two foreign trainees at each port of
call who will diembark at the next, laying the ground for enhancement of
bilateral relations and joint exercises in future.
The
entire voyage will be undertaken on sail, wind permitting. Alongside the
transnational voyage, a series of events like a car rally, ministerial-level
meetings of ASEAN and India, the fourth Asea-India eminent person’s meet and
conferences by industry bodies like FICCI and CII will take place later this
year, the MEA source said.
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