Visakhapatnam: Indian multi-role stealth frigate INS Shivalik, a mission deployed in the South China Sea and North Pacific Ocean, reached Pearl Harbour in Hawaii to take part in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, which is the world’s largest naval exercise, said a release issued by Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
Shivalik sailed into Pearl Harbour on Thursday on completion of JIMEX 24, a bilateral exercise between India and Japan.
The harbour phase of the exercise began on June 27 and will conclude on July 7, and this exercise will see participation in multiple symposiums, exercise planning discussions, sports competitions, and reciprocal deck visits.
The sea phase of RIMPAC-24, divided into three sub-phases, will witness ships undertaking basic and advanced-level integration exercises during the first two sub-phases. The event will conclude with a theatre-level large-force tactical exercise. The exercise will witness the participation of an aircraft carrier battle group, submarines, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, remotely piloted surface ships, and also amphibious force landing operations, including joint operations with special forces of multinational navies.
RIMPAC-24, spanning over six weeks of intense operations and training, is aimed at enhancing interoperability and building trust among the navies of friendly foreign countries. Led by the US Navy, around 29 countries are participating in the current edition of the multi-dimensional exercise.
The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC-24, provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants, critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and the security of the world’s oceans.
INS Shivalik’s participation in RIMPAC-24, 9,000 nautical miles away from the Indian coast, stands testimony to the Indian Navy’s capability to operate in any part of the world.
INS Shivalik is an indigenously designed and built 6,000-tonne guided missile stealth frigate.
