INS Trikand is a state-of-the-art guided missile stealth frigate

In order to ensure safe and secure movement of trade, instill confidence in the maritime community and contribute to regional maritime security in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, the Indian Navy under its ‘Operation Sankalp’ has deployed INS Trikand in the region, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday.

Giving details of the deployment of the Indian Navy’s frontline ship in the region, the Ministry said: “The ship entered Manama, Bahrain, on 13th November 21 for a three-day operational turn round (OTR). During her stay at port, the ship engaged extensively with various maritime security agencies to enhance cooperation in all aspects of maritime security, including training and other mutually beneficial subjects.”

During the deployment, Commanding Officer of INS Trikand, Captain Harish Bahuguna visited the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) headquarters at Bahrain on November 15, and called on the Deputy Commander of CMF, Commodore Edward Ahlgren, the Ministry added

The port call offered the ship an opportunity to visit the US Coast Guard’s (USCG) Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) facility titled ‘Ship in a Box’.

It also enabled a better understanding of the SOPs and training methodologies of other maritime forces, besides allowing the ship’s team to interact with the newly-formed Task Force (TF 59 - Unmanned Force), an experimental unit in a niche domain.

Commanding Officer INS Trikand also called on Ambassador of India to Bahrain Piyush Srivastava, who was deeply appreciative of the role the Indian Navy played through such ship-visits in furthering bilateral relations and enhancing maritime security in the region.

INS Trikand is a state-of-the-art guided missile stealth frigate and is part of the Western Fleet that operates under the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, based at Mumbai.