Rajshri Mehta, TNN
MUMBAI: Royal Navy’s HMS Kent (type 23 frigate) is on a goodwill visit to Mumbai from May 13 to 17. The ship is commanded by Cdr Benjamin E Ripley and has a crew of 216 personnel. It is presently deployed for maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Aden.
During the ship’s stay, Cdr Riply called on¬†Rear Admiral¬†A R Karve, AVSM, the flag officer commanding western fleet. In addition, ship’s crew will be engaged in professional, social and recreational interactions with personnel of western naval command.
The Indian Navy has had traditional links with the Royal Navy and has come a long way in institutionalizing the defence relationship between the two countries. Both navies share converging views on maritime issues of anti-piracy, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Both the navies over the years have built up high levels of interoperability through conduct of Konkan series of bi-lateral exercises and the current visit by HMS Kent would further strengthen the existing bond between the two navies.
Via: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
