Indian Naval Ship 'Shardul' arrived at Port Victoria on Wednesday on a three-day visit, said an official.
INS Shardul, an amphibious ship of the Indian Navy, is currently on a month-long deployment in the southern Indian Ocean in keeping with the vision of SAGAR -- Security and Growth for All in the Region, a release said.
"The Indian Navy will be progressing maritime security cooperation with Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) towards ensuring a secure and stable regional maritime environment for unhindered economic development in the region," an Indian Navy statement said.
"INS Shardul's visit is part of its mission to carry out surveillance in the Seychelles EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) with SCG personnel embarked onboard. During the deployment, INS Shardul would also assist local authorities in providing logistics and medical support to the outer islands of Seychelles," it added.
The Indian Navy on the request of government of Seychelles regularly deploys ships and aircrafts to undertake surveillance missions in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Seychelles.
The current year has seen two such deployments, the first by the state-of-the-art, P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft in March and the second by Indian Naval Ship Trikand in July.
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In addition, ships of the Western Fleet visited Port Victoria in August 2016 during their deployment to the Western Indian Ocean.
The current visit seeks to strengthen the strong bonds of friendship between India and Seychelles and contribute to peace and maritime security in the region.
--IANS
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