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Context: INS Sunayna visited Mombasa, Kenya from 20-23 Jun 23 towards strengthening bilateral ties with maritime neighbours on the theme of Ocean Ring of Yoga.

Purpose of the visit

• The visit was to celebrate the International Day of Yoga on 21 June 2023.
• A joint Yoga session was conducted onboard with the participation of Indian Navy personnel and Kenyan Defence Forces.
• A Maritime Partnership Exercise was conducted between the two navies.
• The crew of both the Indian and Kenya Navy conducted drills in Firefighting & Damage Control, boarding exercises, asymmetric threat simulations and VBSS during the harbour phase.
• A HADR capsule (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) was also conducted onboard the Kenya Navy.
• INS Sunayna also undertook Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Kenya Naval Ship Jasiri on 23 Jun 23.

About Passage Exercise (PASSEX)

• PASSEXs are conducted regularly by the Indian Navy with units of friendly foreign navies.
• They are conducted while Indian Navy or other foreign NAVY visits each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.

INS Sunayna

• It is the second of the NOPV (Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel) class of ship and it was commissioned at Kochi in 2013.
• INS Sunayna is based under Southern Naval Command.
• It is built at Goa Shipyard Limited, and it is designed to meet the increasing ocean surveillance and patrolling requirements of the Indian Navy.
• The warship is designed to undertake fleet support operations, coastal and offshore patrolling, ocean surveillance and monitoring of Sea Lines of Communications and offshore assets, and escort duties.

Conclusion

The visit to Mombasa reaffirms the strong and long-standing relationship between India & Kenya and will further consolidate bilateral cooperation in the maritime domain.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1935017

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