Indian Naval Ship, INS Trishul, is on a visit to Mauritius for three weeks from May 23 to June 12, 2010 to conduct joint patrolling and surveillance operations with the National Coast Guard of the Republic of Mauritius to prevent piracy and illegal fishing activities and help reinforce maritime security in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius. The Commanding Officer of the ship is Capt. Dinesh K. Tripathi. Commissioned in June 2003 and equipped with a Chetak helicopter and marine commandos on board, INS Trishul will carry out joint surveillance in three phases. Joint anti-piracy patrols and surveillance in Mauritian EEZ are planned during the visit.

2. The ship’s crew will take part in a variety of activities whilst in Mauritius. The first phase of the joint surveillance mission has commenced in the northern part of the Mauritian EEZ from May 23, 2010. The ship will make a port call at Port Louis Harbour from May 27-30, 2010. The second phase will take place from May 30 to June 6, 2010.  The ship will again make a port call at Port Louis Harbour from June 6-9, 2010. From June 9-12, 2010, the ship will be in Mauritian waters undertaking surveillance of the Mauritian EEZ.    

3. During the two port calls at Port Louis Harbour, the crew of the ship will participate in social activities such as blood donation and in community service and also participate in sports activities. Training sessions are planned onboard the visiting ship on different aspects of maritime operations.

4. The visit of INS Trishul is yet another manifestation of the comprehensive cooperation between the Government of India and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius. This also assumes significance in the context of ongoing incidents of piracy in the Indian Ocean Region. It reflects the firm commitment and continued engagement of India in further developing and consolidating the multifaceted cooperation between India and the Republic of Mauritius.