The Indian Navy is hosting the fifth edition of the bilateral maritime exercise Samudra Shakti with the Indonesian Navy from October 14 to 17, at Visakhapatnam.
The Indo-Indonesian joint naval exercise, aimed at enhancing interoperability and strengthening maritime cooperation between the two countries, features a series of professional and operational engagements, both ashore and at sea.
INS Kavaratti, an anti-submarine warfare corvette of the Eastern Fleet, and Indonesian Navy ship KRI John Lie, a corvette equipped with an integral helicopter, are participating in the exercise. The Indonesian warship was accorded a warm welcome by the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command upon its arrival at Visakhapatnam.
The harbour phase includes activities designed to foster professional interaction and camaraderie between personnel of both navies. These include cross-deck visits, joint yoga sessions, friendly sports events, and professional exchanges under Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) programmes.
The sea phase is set to feature complex and high-tempo maritime operations such as helicopter manoeuvres, air defence exercises, weapon firing drills, and Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) operations. These drills are aimed at enhancing tactical coordination and operational synergy between the participating navies.
