India’s INS Tarkash Navy Vessel docked at the Port of Walvis Bay for a three-day visit on Monday.
This is the third time the vessel docks at Walvis Bay after visits in 2017 and 2019.
Tarkash, which means a quiver full of arrows, is a 125 metre-long vessel with a crew complement of 28 officers. It is the second ship of the Teg Class Stealth frigates commissioned into the Indian Navy.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, the ship’s commander Captain Abraham Samuel said the vessel has arrived in Walvis Bay as part of its long range operational deployment.
According to Samuel, the Indian Navy as part of its mission-based deployment philosophy deploys ships in maritime areas of interest to India to ensure that the country’s national interests are protected.
“We value our ties with Namibia, the trade we enjoy with each other, the close military relationship we have with each other and the visit of our ship is to further cement the bridges of friendship that we have established across the seas,” Samuel noted.
He added that the visit of the INS Tarkash would also offer some new avenues for enhancing the relationship in the maritime domain in Namibia.
The ship departed India on 27 June 2022 and transited across the Gulf of Aden, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and made port calls at several African ports.
In addition to the official interaction with senior dignitaries and military officials and capacity-building activities like professional exchanges on fire fighting and damage control, medical lectures and cross-deck visits will be conducted.
Community exchange programmes like yoga fixtures as well as open public visits and tree planting at Walvis Bay are also planned.
Indian High Commissioner to Namibia, Prashant Agrawal at the same event noted that as part of its 75th independence celebrations, India is renewing and reiterating friendly bonds with its closest partner countries, including Namibia.
“We have a long history of cooperation, emphasising security as a part of that. It is always an honour for us to hear Namibians speak fondly of the security support that India provided during the liberation struggle,” Agrawal said.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
