INS Sahyadri arrives at Malaysia's Kemaman Port, set to enhance bilateral engagement

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 3 (IANS) Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri is making a port call at Malaysia's Kemaman Port as part of its routine operational deployment to the region. Royal Malaysian Navy accorded a warm welcome to INS Sahyadri after it arrived for a port call to Malaysia.

The Indian High Commission in Malaysia stated that it is INS Sahyadri's third visit to Malaysia. The Indian naval ship had earlier visited Port Klang on a goodwill mission in 2016 and also participated in Exercise Samudra Laksamana at Kota Kinabalu in 2019.

"Port Call by INS Sahyadri to Malaysia. Indian Navy Ship (INS) Sahyadri arrived at Kemaman Port, Malaysia on 02 October as part of its routine operational deployment and was accorded a warm welcome by Royal Malaysian Navy. Towards enhanced bilateral engagement, Royal Malaysian Navy and INS Sahyadri engaged in cross visits and Subject Matter Expert exchanges," the Indian High Commission in Malaysia posted on X on Friday.

Commanding Officer and other officers of the ship also called-on First Admiral Abd Halim bin Kamarudin, Deputy Commander Naval Region 1 of the Malaysian Navy.

In July, Indian Navy's indigenously designed and constructed Survey Vessel Large (SVL) INS Sandhayak made its maiden port call at Port Klang in Malaysia, enhancing hydrographic cooperation. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence stated, "This visit demonstrates India’s growing role in regional hydrographic capacity building under the Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD) and the National Hydrographic Office framework."

In May, India marked a prominent presence at the 17th edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2025), with Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth meeting Malaysian Prime Minister YAB Dato' Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim during the event’s grand opening ceremony. The event commenced with a grand opening ceremony and was attended by global defence and aerospace leaders.

Highlighting the significance of India’s participation, the Indian High Commission in Malaysia had taken to social media to mention the country's participation in the event.

“India at LIMA-2025 Hon’ble Minister of State for Defence (Raksha Rajya Mantri) of India Sanjay Seth met with YAB Dato' Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Malaysia, during the impressive opening ceremony of LIMA 2025. Hon'ble PM Ibrahim requested Sanjay Seth to convey greetings and high regards to his dear friend PM Narendra Modi. In his inaugural address, PM Ibrahim also acknowledged the participation of India, referring to it as one of the key neighbours of Malaysia, in LIMA 2025,” India in Malaysia posted on its official X account.

--IANS

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