Along with the deployment of the Navy’s Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea, three Indian Naval Ships have arrived in Singapore for a three-day visit. This shows how closely the two fleets are connected.
There was a post on X that said the Indian military Ships Delhi, Shakti, and Kiltan arrived at the Changi military base in the city-state on Monday. They were led by Rear Admiral (RAdm) Rajesh Dhankhar.
On Thursday, the three ships will leave for Malaysia. After that, they will go to the Philippines.
Indian Naval ships #INSDelhi, #INSShakti & #INSKiltan led by RAdm Rajesh Dhankhar, #FOCEF arrived #Singapore on #06May to a warm welcome by personnel of Republic of Singapore Navy, #RSN & the @HCI_Singapore staff.
The visit is part of the Op Deployment of #IndianNavy‘s… pic.twitter.com/stdsQAoC0T— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) May 7, 2024
The visit is part of the “Op Deployment of #IndianNavy’s @IN_EasternFleet to the #SouthChinaSea,” the statement said. This comes as China shows its strength in the South China Sea.
In the South China Sea, the Chinese fleet is in a standoff with Philippine naval ships backed by the US.
There is a lot of opposition from China when the Philippines tries to claim the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
China claims most of the South China Sea as part of its goals to grow. Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei all have their own claims.
The Singapore Navy and the High Commissioner of India in Singapore were there to greet the three Indian military ships.
Adm Dhankhar and the Indian High Commissioner held a party on INS Shakti on Tuesday for 150 guests and mission heads.
The Ministry of Defence in New Delhi said in a statement that the visit would “make the long-standing friendship and cooperation between the two maritime nations even stronger through a number of engagements and activities.”
Several events are planned for while the ships are in port. These involve “interactions with the High Commission of India, professional interactions with the Republic of Singapore Navy as also academia and community outreach amongst other activities, reflecting the shared values of both navies,” it added.
The ships of the two countries have had strong ties for 30 years, working together, visiting each other regularly, sharing best practices, and setting up training programs for each other.
“The current deployment underscores the strong linkages between both the navies,” it said.
