Indian naval ships dock in Korea

​Visakhapatnam: As a part of Act East Policy, Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri, Shakti and Kirch, under the Command of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, Rear Admiral S V Bhokare, arrived at Busan on Tuesday on a four-day visit, as part of deployment of the Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea.

During the visit, the Indian Naval ships will have professional interaction with the Republic of Korea Navy towards further enhancing cooperation between the two forces.

In addition, calls on senior government and military authorities, sporting and cultural interactions and sharing of best practices, aimed at strengthening ties and mutual understanding between the two Navies, are also planned.

The Indian ships are also likely to conduct exercises with the Korean Navy, aimed at enhancing interoperability in communication as well as search and rescue procedures, post departure from Busan.

INS Sahyadri is commanded by Captain K S Rajkumar, INS Shakti by Captain Gagan Kaushal and INS Kirch by Commander Sharad Sinsunwal.

Bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries has been forging ahead steadily and has progressed leaps and bounds in recent years. Both countries have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, with special emphasis on shipbuilding and electronics hardware manufacturing.

Defence and security relations between India and Republic of Korea have evolved steadily over the years and have received a renewed impetus with the visit of Indian defence delegation led by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on April 16. The last visit by an Indian naval ship to Republic of Korea was in October 2015, when Sahyadri berthed at Incheon.