The First Training Squadron ships Tir, Sujata, and Sarathi arrived at Kuwait’s Port Al-Shuwaikh to expose trainees to the military and maritime ties between India and Kuwait.
As part of their training deployment, the ships arrived in the port on Tuesday. Kuwait’s Naval forces, the Border Guard, the Indian Embassy, along with schoolchildren, gave the naval ships a warm welcome.
In addition to professional engagements, cross-ship visits, and community outreach, the three-day port call will include social interactions as well as community outreach. In the Indian Navy, the Southern Naval Command trains the ships of 1TS based in Kochi.
Its deployment aims to expose trainees to various evolutions at sea and port familiarization. The current deployment also exposes trainees to the sociopolitical, military, and maritime links between India and friendly countries in our maritime neighbourhood.
It is a well-known fact that India and Kuwait enjoy friendly relations that are rooted in history and have lasted the test of time. It is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Kuwait this year. There have been regular high-level contacts between both countries.
In the second COVID, Kuwait supported India with oxygen and other relief materials. Both countries established an air/sea bridge to facilitate this.
The Kuwaiti government sent a special aircraft with 282 oxygen cylinders, 60 oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and other medical supplies on May 4, 2021. Liquid medical oxygen in ISO tanks, oxygen cylinders, concentrators, and other medical supplies were carried to India by Indian Navy vessels, INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Tarkash, INS Tabar, and INS Shardul.
During the month-and-a-half long operation, over 425 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen were sent from Kuwait to India, as well as 12,500 oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and other medical equipment. Contributions were also made by the Indian community in Kuwait.
