Kochi (Kerala) [India], October 2 (ANI): The Commander of the Kenya Navy, Major General Paul Owuor Otieno, along with a four-member delegation, visited Southern Naval Command (SNC), Kochi, from September 30 to October 2.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Commander of the Kenya Navy interacted with Vice Admiral V Srinivas, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, and held discussions on avenues to enhance training engagement and maritime cooperation between the two Navies.

The visiting delegation was presented with a brief overview of the Indian Navy's professional and operational training frameworks. In the deliberations, Major General Otieno appreciated the Indian Navy's maiden initiative Indian Ocean Ship - Sagar (IOS Sagar), jointly crewed by personnel from nine IOR nations including Kenya, as a unique step towards regional maritime synergy.

He also underscored the importance of strengthening regional cooperation, capability enhancement, and interoperability through training exchanges and adoption of best practices. The recent long-range training deployment of the First Training Squadron (1TS) to Mombasa was also noted as a significant milestone in bilateral ties.

According to Ministry of Defence, the Kenyan delegation visited various training schools at SNC and witnessed demonstrations on advanced simulators and state-of-the-art training infrastructure. At Headquarters Sea Training, discussions focused on operational sea training and avenues for deeper training cooperation. A visit to Fast Attack Craft, INS Kabra was also undertaken. At the Naval hospital INHS Sanjivani, the delegation was briefed on the wide range of multi-speciality medical facilities available.

The Indian Navy has been actively fostering maritime excellence with the Kenyan Navy through training endeavours since 1990. The visit of the Commander of the Kenya Navy to SNC underscores the growing maritime partnership and reaffirms shared commitment of both Navies towards enhancing maritime security and regional stability. (ANI)