India and the European Union (EU) joined their maiden naval exercise in the Gulf of Guinea off the West African coast on October 24, 2023. The exercise aims to boost maritime security cooperation. The exercise is being conducted after the 3rd meeting of the EU-India Maritime Security Dialogue on October 5 in Brussels.
- INS Sumedha, an offshore patrol vessel, and three EU member states’ ships– Italian Navy Ship ITS Foscari, French Navy Ship FS Ventôse, and Spanish Navy Ship Tornado joined the exercise.
- The drill included a boarding exercise, a flying exercise using the helicopters embarked on Ventôse and Sumedha, and a transfer of personnel between ships.