India's first naval drill with Bangladesh concludes

India's first ever bilateral maritime drill with its neighbour Bangladesh concluded on Wednesday on the eastern cost at Visakhapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh. Two Bangladesh ships - Ali Haider and Shadhinota, had taken part in the exercise.

During the harbour phase of the exercise, which took place over a period of four days, professional interactions and sharing of best practices took place between the two navies.

On Tuesday, a delegation of Bangladesh Navy officials, who had accompanied the ships to Visakhapatnam had called on the Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command.

Navy officials said the Bangladeshi delegation discussed the importance of mutual cooperation and partnership on maritime security in Bay of Bengal region during their meeting with Vice Admiral Jain.

Bangladesh Navy officials were taken on visits to various facilities of the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam including the Naval Dockyard, Naval Air Station INS Dega, the Submarine Rescue Unit, the Ship Handling Simulator and the Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System.

The officials were also taken on a guided tour of Indian Navy Ship (INS) Ranvijay.

"There were subject matter lectures on varied topics ranging from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to aviation emergencies that were undertaken as part of professional interaction," a statement from the Navy said.IANS