Indian Navy, Coast Guard ships from First Training Squadron visit Saudi Arabia on overseas deployment

Four ships of India's First Training Squadron are on a four-day visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as part of a five-nation overseas deployment.

The First Training Squadron comprises of three Indian Navy ships and one Indian Coast Guard ship and is meant to provide hands-on, real-world training to newly-commissioned officers of the Navy and Coast Guard.

On the completion of their ab-initio training from the Indian Naval Academy, the young officers are sent for a six-month-long training period onboard the ships where they perform all crucial tasks and master the skill of seamanship.

During this visit, Captain Aftab Ahmed Khan, senior officer, First Training Squadron along with commanding officers of the accompanying Indian ships called on Rear Admiral Yahya Bin Mohammed Al-Assiri, Western Fleet Commander of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. Issues of bilateral Naval cooperation and training initiatives between the two countries were among the significant points of discussion.

Indian Navy ships Tir, Sujata, Tarangini and Coast Guard Ship Sarathi will be involved in interactions and training exchange with officials from Royal Navy of Saudi Arabia and various other dignitaries.