Ongoing co-operation and engagements with the Indian Navy saw Rear Admiral Handsome Matsane, SA Navy (SAN) Flag Officer Fleet (FOF), host the flag officer who heads sea training for India’s naval service late last month.
India’s Flag Officer Sea Training, Rear Admiral Srinivas Maddula, called on Naval Base (NB) Simon’s Town to assess first-hand training conducted between his service and its South African equivalent, headed by Vice Admiral Monde Lobese.
In addition to putting a weather eye on joint training efforts, the Indian Navy delegation, which included Rear Admiral for Foreign Co-operation and Intelligence, Nirbhay Bapna, held what Navy News editor Gert Witbooi termed staff talks. The talks, from 24 to 26 September, centred on strengthening relations in pursuit of maritime security in the Indian Ocean, Witbooi reported.
The September visit follows an August call on the SAN fleet home port by Indian Navy senior officers to certify SAS Manthatisi (S101) for the Indian Navy submarine rescue and co-operation agreement. This makes the Type 209 Heroine Class submarine the first friendly foreign navy to earn the Indian Navy’s rescue seat certification.
It follows the September 2024 implementing agreement for – when and if needed – deployment of an Indian Navy deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV). The Indian Navy has two specialist rescue vessels on its asset register. The DSRVs can be either ship-mounted or air transportable, with both options available to the maritime services of India and now, South Africa.
The Indian Navy recently sent its First Training Squadron (1TS) to Africa on a long-range deployment, with the squadron visiting the Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, and Mozambique. The cadet training ship INS Tir (A86), patrol vessel INS Sujata (P56), tank landing ship INS Shardul (L16), and offshore patrol vessel ICGS Sarathi arrived in Maputo in mid-September before heading back up the coast, most recently stopping in Kenya in late September.
The First Training Squadron had hoped to visit South Africa but did not, as the Department of Home Affairs requires passports for foreign sailors to come ashore, and appears to no longer be accepting naval identification cards. This change seems to have come about during the visit of the Russian Navy training vessel Smolny in August.
Nevertheless, the Indian Navy enjoys close ties with its South African counterpart. India and South Africa witness frequent high-level military visits, as well as training exchanges, military exercises and sharing of each other’s good practices. Indian Navy warships are also regular visitors to South Africa, and the Indian Navy took part in Exercise Ibsamar in October last year off Saldanha with South Africa and Brazil.
SOURCE: defenceweb.co.za
