Indian Navy submarine docks in Indonesia

In line with the expanding military cooperation with South East Asian nations, an Indian Navy Kilo class conventional submarine, INS Sindhukesari, docked in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the first time from Feb. 22 to 24.

“Highly enriching engagements with the Indonesian Navy conducted during port call, strengthening maritime partnership between India and Indonesia towards safer and secure Indo-Pacific,” the Navy said on Twitter.

The submarine, which was on operational deployment, travelled through the Sunda Strait and undertook the maiden docking in Indonesia for Operational Turnaround (OTR), a defence source said. Naval ships regularly make port calls to countries in the region, the source stated.

The OTR in Jakarta, over 2,000 nautical miles away from its home base in Visakhapatnam, significantly expands the area operational reach of the submarine arm near crucial shipping lanes and the strategic Malacca Strait. In the past, Indonesia gave access to its Sabang port to Indian Naval ships for operational turnaround.

India has steadily expanded its defence and security cooperation with countries in the region, many of which are engaged in disputes with China in the South China Sea.

In recent years, India has signed logistics support agreements with several countries to enhance reach and sustenance of military assets while deployed far from home.