Visit of Indian Naval Ship INS Savitri to Mauritius (December 8-29, 2009) 

Indian Naval Ship, INS Savitri, an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel, is currently on a visit to Mauritius. The ship is part of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy. The ship has wide ranging operational roles, including aerial surveillance and in Search & Rescue roles. In the past, INS Savitri has been deployed for various expeditionary missions.  It has taken part in patrol off Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius. The ship is under the command of Commander Gagan Kaushal.

2. The ship’s crew will take part in a variety of activities whilst in Mauritius. Joint anti- piracy patrols and surveillance in Mauritian EEZ are planned during the visit. The first phase of the joint surveillance mission began in the northern part of the Mauritian EEZ from December 8-14, 2009. The second phase will be conducted from December 17-24, 2009. The third and last phase of joint patrol and surveillance will be from December 24-29, 2009 Sea patrols will be conducted around Agalega, Nazareth Bank, North and North-West of St. Brandon and  areas of extreme limits which are beyond the surveillance capability of the National Coast Guard.

3. The Ship will remain open for visit by the members of the public on Christmas Day, December 25, 2009. The crew of the Ship will participate in social activities such as blood donation and in community service and also participate in sports activities. Major emphasis will be given to imparting training to the members of National Coast Guard. Training sessions are planned onboard the visiting ship on different aspects of maritime operations.

4. The visit of INS Savitri to Mauritius 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 increasing incidents of piracy in the Indian Ocean Region. It reflects the firm commitment and continued engagement of India in further developing, consolidating and expanding the multidimensional cooperation between India and the Republic of Mauritius.

Port Louis
December 18, 2009

INS SAVITRI

OPERATIONAL ROLES

Seaking Helicopter carring out Marine Cammando  Operation from INS Savitri	Chetak Helicopter carring out SAR operation from INS Savitri
Marine commando boarding a vessel	Marine commandos carrying out search of vessel