INS Trikand, a front-line warship of the Indian Navy, has provided escort to a UN-affiliated merchant ship transporting relief materials for the underprivileged in Africa under the World Food Programme (WFP) initiative.
Merchant ship MV Annika was transporting relief materials from Somaliland's city of Berbera to Mombasa in Kenya through piracy prone waters.
The WFP initiative of the United Nations supplies relief and nutrition materials to the underprivileged in Africa, but the vessels transporting these materials are often targets of the pirates operating from the East Coast of Somalia.
The presence of INS Trikand as an escort was a deterrent against any asymmetric attacks and underlines the Indian Navy's commitment towards maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.