India-Malaysia Join Hands in ‘Samudra Laksamana’ Naval Exercise in Visakhapatnam

Naval forces from India and Malaysia are currently engaged in a joint naval exercise, ‘Samudra Laksamana’, off the coast of Vizag. The objective of the operation is focused on strengthening ties and improving maritime coordination. The exercise, which started on 28 February, will come to a close today, on 2 March. This is the third edition of this bilateral exercise, which is held alternately in India and Malaysia. This year, it has been conducted under the aegis of Visakhapatnsm’s Eastern Naval Command.

During the event, the Indian Navy was represented by INS Kiltan, a Kamorta-class anti-submarine corvette, while the Royal Malaysian Navy was represented by RMNS KD Lekir, a Kasturi-class corvette.

The exercise included a harbor phase and a sea phase. In the harbor phase, the participants engaged in professional interactions, subject matter exchanges, sports events, and other collaborative social activities. These interactions aimed to enhance knowledge, share best practices, and foster mutual understanding and friendship between both navies on maritime matters.

Moving to the sea phase, both navies jointly refined their skills through various sea operations, further solidifying the interoperability of different units. This phase underlined the conduct of various operations including manoeuvres, communication drills, surface warfare exercises, boarding operations, and helicopter operations.

This naval exercise, here in Visakhapatnam is set to conclude today. It is being held amid the backdrop of the increasing maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, such as piracy, terrorism, and territorial disputes. The activities conducted reflect the shared commitment of the two countries to ensure a peaceful, stable, and secure maritime environment. It also demonstrates the growing defence cooperation and strategic partnership between India and Malaysia.

‘Samudra Laksamana’ succeeded the recently concluded MILAN 2024, a multilateral naval exercise that was also organized in Vizag to foster a similar sense of camaraderie and cooperation among about 50 countries from around the world.

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