Ships Sail into Deep Waters, Sea Phase of Milan-24 Starts Today
VISHAKHAPATNAM: Warships from India and foreign waters sailed into the Bay of Bengal for the sea phase of Milan-24 starting Saturday and concluding on February 27.
The Eastern Naval Command said 15 ships and one aircraft from friendly foreign countries are participating in the sea phase along with Indian Naval ships, submarines and aircraft. Indian aircraft carriers Vikramaditya and Vikrant are also participating in this edition of Milan.
As part of the sea phase, the participating navies will be exercising in all domains of maritime warfare which include surface, sub-surface and air. The participating units will undertake complex and advanced exercises to consolidate interoperability and enhance mutual understanding, to enable these to operate as a combined task force at sea.
The two-day international maritime seminar concluded on Friday with senior officers and luminaries from partner nations presenting papers on aspects of maritime security, infrastructure and information.
Dr Christian Bueger from University of Copenhagen spoke on linking maritime security and the blue economy and naval cooperation in critical maritime infrastructure protection.
Vice Admiral Blake Converse, deputy commander of the US Pacific Fleet, lectured on the cooperative regional solutions to a rules-based order, while Vice Admiral Saito Akira, Commander in Chief of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Fleet spoke on the importance of cooperation in modern maritime security.
Vice Admiral Emmanuel Slaars, joint commander of the French forces in the Indian Ocean region, dealt with maritime information sharing as a step towards collective awareness and ability to act together at sea.
