Indian naval ships Vikramaditya, Mysore and Deepak are visiting Male from February 15-18, 2016, after participating in the International Fleet Review. The ships are part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet based at Mumbai.

INS Vikramaditya, one of the two aircraft carriers is a state-of-theart ship, capable of operating a versatile range of high-performance aircraft, such as the MiG-29K fighters, Ka-31 AEW helicopters, multirole Seakings and utility Chetaks. The ship is over 285 metres long and 60 metres wide. Her 23 decks scale a height of 60 metres. She is accompanied by indigenously constructed INS Mysore, a frontline missile destroyer, and INS Deepak, the fleet tanker.

During the visit, the warships will have professional interactions with the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) for further enhancing the close cooperation between the two forces. In addition, a number of sports and social engagements, aimed at strengthening ties and mutual understanding between the two navies, are also planned.

The Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh, NM, is flying his flag onboard the Vikramaditya which is commanded by Captain Krishna Swaminathan, INS Mysore is commanded by Captain M. Paul Samuel and INS Deepak is commanded by Captain Sujit Kumar Chhetri.

India and Maldives are close maritime neighbours with strong and extremely cordial defence and diplomatic relations. The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, in conjunction with MNDF, regularly undertake surveillance in the Maldivian EEZ. The current visit highlights the importance accorded by India to bilateral relations with Maldives and seeks to strengthen the existing bonds between the two countries.