Navy Chief interacts with Saudi Arabia Navy cadets

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar interacted with cadets of King Fahd Naval Academy, Saudi Arabia, who are undergoing sea training at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar interacted with cadets of King Fahd Naval Academy, Saudi Arabia, who are undergoing sea training at the Southern Naval Command here on Thursday.

Fifty-five cadets of the Royal Saudi Naval Force (RSNF) along with five directing staff are attached to the Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron ships - INS Tir and INS Sujata — as part of the afloat training with the Navy. The cadets completed 10 days at sea onboard the ships.

Admiral Hari Kumar was apprised of the ongoing harbour and afloat training activities, including familiarisation sea sorties. He was also briefed about the progress made by the trainees.

As part of the training curriculum, simulator training was given to the cadets, prior to embarking on the sea-training phase. During sea sorties, they were exposed to rigorous training in practical aspects of navigation and seamanship, with emphasis on navigation in pilotage waters, anchoring, coastal navigation, replenishment at sea, sea boats, firefighting and emergency drills. A two-day harbour training on sail training ship INS Sudarshini is planned, to familiarise them with the rigours of life onboard a sail ship.

The directing staff expressed their appreciation on the high-quality training and exposure that they received onboard the the naval ships. In his address, Admiral Hari Kumar welcomed the RSNF delegation in India and reaffirmed that the maiden training of the Saudi cadets by the Indian Navy was testimony to the growing friendship between Saudi Arabia and India. He acknowledged the assistance received from the Government of Saudi Arabia during the recent evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan.

Emphasising the close relations and cooperation between the two navies, he said the joint exercises and other activities with RSNF had progressed well over the years. He added that both countries shared similar views on maritime security and closely operated with each other to ensure safe and secure seas in the region.