As part of enhancing military cooperation with the friendly nations, Indian warship Shardul, a ship of the First Training Squadron of the Indian Navy, is visiting Port Louis in Mauritius, the force said. The ship arrived at Port Louis in Mauritius on March 10 and will remain there till March 13. Indian Navy said that the visit is part of an overseas deployment to Southern Indian Ocean nations.

The ship will undertake exclusive economic zone surveillance of Mauritius, in coordination with the Mauritian National Coast Guard as part of the deployment.

"This visit also marks the commemoration of National Day celebrations of Mauritius on March 12," Indian Navy said in a statement.

The visit by the Indian Navy ship to Mauritius on the occasion of its National Day celebrations highlights the close relations and strong friendship between the two countries. It is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing maritime security cooperation between the two countries.

Indigenously built at Kolkata's Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and commissioned to the Indian Navy in 2007, INS Shardul is an amphibious warfare ship capable of carrying battle tanks, troops and an integral helicopter.

The ship has also played an important role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations in the recent past. Notable among these include delivery of 600 tonnes of food grains to drought-hit Madagascar in March 2020 and operation Samudra Setu for evacuation of overseas Indians in June 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

(IANS)