INS Shardul arrives at Port Louis for Mauritius National Day celebrations

Indian Navy Ship (INS) Shardul, a ship of the First Training Squadron of the Indian Navy (IN), has arrived at Port Louis, Mauritius ahead of the country's National Day celebrations on Friday.

According to an official statement, the ship is visiting Port Louis from March 10 to 13 as part of overseas deployment to Southern Indian Ocean nations. INS Shardul will undertake EEZ surveillance of Mauritius, in coordination with the Mauritian National Coast Guard as deployment and will also participate in the National Day celebrations.

The visit highlights the close relations and strong friendship between the two countries and is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing maritime security cooperation between the two countries, as per the statement.

INS Shardul is an amphibious warfare ship capable of carrying battle tanks, troops, and an integral helicopter. The ship has also played an important role in Humtarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in the recent past, according to the statement.

The ship also delivered 600 tons of food grains to drought-hit Madagascar in March 2020 and operation Samudra Setu for the evacuation of overseas Indians in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

( With inputs from ANI )