In a move to bolster maritime cooperation between India and Thailand, the Indian Navy’s INS Kadmatt arrived at Bangkok on December 19 as part of its Long Range Operational Deployment to the North Pacific Ocean and South China Sea. The visit aims to enhance interoperability between the two navies and foster a stronger maritime partnership.
The operational turnaround at Bangkok includes a series of harbor activities, such as a cross-ship visit by personnel from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Academy and a conference for the upcoming Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX).
Following its departure from Bangkok, INS Kadmatt is set to engage in the MPX alongside HTMS Rattanakosin, a corvette of the Royal Thai Navy.
Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), is scheduled to visit INS Kadmatt on December 21, 2023, to interact with the ship’s crew. The CNS is also leading the Indian Naval delegation at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs (CoC), hosted by the Royal Thai Navy in Bangkok from December 19 to December 22, 2023.
INS Kadmatt, commissioned on January 7, 2016, is the second of the four indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) corvettes of the Indian Navy. The vessel has actively participated in numerous joint naval exercises with friendly nations, contributing significantly to regional security and fostering maritime ties. Equipped with a state-of-the-art weapon and sensor package, INS Kadmatt is capable of carrying out a wide range of missions.
The ship is part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet, based at Visakhapatnam, and operates under the command of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.