Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican navy has been carrying out, since last Thursday, an exercise off the southeast African coast in partnership with Tanzania and India, in order to strengthen security against incursions by pirates.
The Tri-Lateral Exercise (Trilat), according to the South African DefenceWeb platform, closes on Friday, and it is being carried out by two Indian naval vessels, the cadet training ship INS Tir (A86) and the Sukanya-class patrol ship INS Sujata (P56).
The exercise takes place after a merchant vessel named “Abdullah”, which was sailing from the Mozambican capital, Maputo, to Al Hamriyah, in the United Arab Emirates, carrying 58,000 tonnes of coal, was hijacked by pirates last Tuesday.
“The two Indian Navy vessels, INS Tir and INS Sujata, are representing the Indian Navy, with INS Tir arriving at Zanzibar and INS Sujata at Mozambique’s Port of Maputo. The Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi is also participating along with Mozambique and Tanzanian Navy ships. INS Sujata is based at Southern Naval Command in Kochi”, writes Defence Web.
The first edition of the IMT Trilat exercise was conducted in October 2022, with the participation of the frigate INS Tarkash (F50) exercising with the Tanzanian and Mozambique Navies.
The current edition of the exercise is planned in two phases. As part of the harbour phase scheduled from 21-24 March, Naval ships Tir and Sujata engaged with the respective Navies at the ports of Zanzibar (Tanzania) and Maputo (Mozambique).
This phase began with a Planning Conference followed by joint harbour training activities like damage control, fire fighting, search and seizure procedures, medical lectures, casualty evacuation and diving operations.
The sea phase of the exercise now underway until 27 March covers practical aspects of countering asymmetric threats, search and seizure procedures, boat handling, manoeuvres and firing exercises.
A joint exclusive economic zone (EEZ) surveillance is included during the sea phase. The exercise will conclude with a joint debrief scheduled at Mozambique’s Port of Nacala.
During the harbor stay, Indian Naval ships were open for visitors and crews partook in sports and cultural exchanges with the host Navies.
The Indian Navy said these activities underscore India’s outreach to foster friendly relations through maritime cooperation, aligning with the maritime vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In recent months the Indian Navy has been very active off the northeast coast of Africa. Since the Israel-Hamas conflict has spilling over to the maritime domain, with Houthi forces attacking shipping off Yemen in solidarity with Palestine, India has enhanced the scope of its maritime security operations.
The navy undertook proactive action during the hijacking of the Malta flagged Bulk Carrier MV Ruen on 14 December 2023. The Indian Navy said 23 March marked the completion of 100 days of ongoing maritime security operations. During this time, the Indian Navy responded to 18 incidents in the Indian Ocean Region.
This included an operation that lasted some 40 hours, culminating in the Indian Navy retaking the MV Ruen from Somali pirates, rescuing the 17 crew members on board and apprehending two dozen pirates on 16 March.
The Indian Navy has a sizable presence in the Red Sea region, with a dozen warships deployed to provide security against pirates as Western powers focus on attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.
In January, the Indian Navy foiled two hijackings by Somali pirates within days. On 29 January, the fishing vessel Al Naeemi and her crew (19 Pakistani nationals) were rescued by the Indians from 11 Somali pirates after the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel was boarded and her crew taken hostage.
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