India And EU Collaborate In Historic Joint Naval Drills In The Gulf Of Guinea

This week, India and the EU held their first naval drill together in the Gulf of Guinea. This shows that the two countries are working together more on maritime security. The practice happened on Tuesday, about three weeks after the EU-India Maritime Security Dialogue in Brussels, where people talked about ways to work together more in the maritime area.

The defense ministry said that the drill on Tuesday showed how the EU and India are working together on maritime security and how determined both sides are to uphold the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

It said the drills were meant to improve cooperation between the navy and the coast guard to protect the area.

“On October 24, the European Union (EU) and India conducted their first joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Guinea,” it stated.

A patrol boat from the Indian Navy called INS Sumedha was joined by ships from three EU member states during the practice.

The EU was represented by the ships ITS Foscari from the Italian Navy, FS Ventose from the French Navy, and Tornado from the Spanish Navy.

“The four ships practised a series of tactical manoeuvres in international waters off the coast of Ghana, including a boarding exercise, a flying exercise using the helicopters embarked on French ship Ventose and Indian Naval ship Sumedha, and transfer of personnel between ships,” the ministry stated in a statement.

After the exercise, there was a session in Accra, Ghana, where people shared what they had learned. This built on what they had done together at sea to improve operational understanding.

“The session also helped deepen ties between Ghanaian officials and representatives of the Indian, EU and EU member states missions to Ghana,” the ministry stated.

“These activities underlined the shared commitment of India and the EU to supporting coastal states and the Yaounde architecture in ensuring maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea,” it stated.