Friendly ships dock at Visakhapatnam coast for MILAN 2022

Ships of various friendly navies have started arriving at the coast of Visakhapatnam as of today morning to participate in the Indian Navy’s biggest multilateral naval exercise, MILAN 2022. The 11th edition of MILAN is being hosted here in Visakhapatnam for the very first time since its inception. Scheduled to be conducted in two phases, the first phase will take place at the harbour between 26 February 2022 to 28 February 2022. The second phase at sea, which is the major attraction of this year’s edition, is set to take place between 1 March 2022 to 4 March 2022.

Ships from France, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, USA, Indonesia, Bangladesh, South Korea, and Myanmar have already reached the coast of Visakhapatnam. More ships from other countries are expected to arrive today in Visakhapatnam for MILAN 2022. According to the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), the international seminars to be held on 27th February will aim at exchanging ideas on common maritime challenges and discussing possible solutions. The sea phase of the maritime exercise aims to implement the discussed solutions and promote operations at sea together. The largest naval exercise conducted by the  Indian Navy is all set to absorb the best practices in the maritime domain along with celebrating each other’s maritime traditions. Invitations have been sent to as many as 46 countries for this year’s edition of MILAN.

The city has been fully decked up for the biennial event, which will be inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Defence, Ajay Bhatt. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has been invited as the chief guest for the International City Parade, happening here in the city on Sunday, 27 February 2022. The MILAN Village shall showcase around 40 stalls from various parts of the country to promote tourist places and Indian cuisine. Foreign navies are also expected to set up stalls in the village.

The International City Parade of MILAN 2022, happening in Visakhapatnam, is also open for the public to witness. This visual spectacle, which is scheduled to take place at the RK Beach Road, will commence at approximately 5 pm.