The Indian Navy and the Royal Bahrain Naval Force carried out the Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the Persian Gulf as part of ‘Operation Sankalp’ on Wednesday (March 17).
A passage exercise refers to a drill held by two navies to ensure that both are able to communicate and cooperate in times of war or humanitarian relief. The Indian Navy carries out such exercises at regular intervals with units of friendly foreign navies.
They are undertaken at the time when the two navies are either visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.
The Indian Navy issued a statement explaining how the PASSEX will enhance interoperability and build stronger bilateral maritime cooperation between India and Bahrain.
“Enhancing interoperability & strengthening bilateral Maritime cooperation, Reassuring Diaspora & merchant shipping INS Talwar Mission Deployed for Op Sankalp, undertook Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Bahrain Naval Force Corvette Al Muharraq in the Persian Gulf on 17 Mar 21,” said the Indian Navy.
#BridgesofFriendship
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Enhancing interoperability & strengthening bilateral #Maritime cooperation, Reassuring Diaspora & merchant shipping #IndianNavy Ship #INSTalwar undertook Passage Exercise #PASSEX with #RoyalBahrainNavalForce Corvette Al Muharraq #PersianGulf. pic.twitter.com/3M7jE5iNrl— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 18, 2021
The official Twitter handle of the Indian Embassy in Bahrain also published a tweet, which said, “INS Talwar departs Bahrain. Undertakes PASSEX with RBNF (Royal Bahrain Naval Force) ship. Fostering interoperability for Cooperative Partnership Building bridges of Friendship across seas.”
“Interacts with US Coast Guard at ‘Ship in a Box’ facility. Working together to meet emergent maritime challenges.”
INS TALWAR DEPARTS BAHRAIN
* Undertakes PASSEX with RBNF ship. #Fostering interoperability for Cooperative Partnership# Building bridges of Friendship across seas.
* Interacts with US Coast Guard at ‘Ship in a Box’ facility. #Working together to meet emergent maritime challenges# pic.twitter.com/qFUauVEhTL— India in Bahrain (@IndiaInBahrain) March 17, 2021
The exercise between the navies of India and Bahrain is aimed at fostering interoperability and reflecting the commitments of both nations, while also building cooperative partnerships to meet emerging maritime challenges.
The PASSEX basically is another sign of the Indian government’s continuous commitment towards ensuring that the Indian flag-bearing merchant vessels in the Gulf region remain safe.
The exercise between the navies of the two nations has been conducted under the Maritime Security Operations, which has been code-named ‘Op Sankalp’.
Operation Sankalp was first initiated in the Gulf region on June 19, 2019, in the aftermath of the attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman.
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