The Indian Navy stated the ship has been handed over to Vietnam with full “weapon complement”.

New Delhi:

India gifted its in-service missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam in the present day in reflection of rising bilateral strategic and defence partnership amid widespread issues over China’s more and more aggressive behaviour within the South China Sea.

This is the primary time that India handed over a completely operational corvette to any pleasant international nation, officers stated. Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, at present on an official go to to Vietnam, presided over the ceremony at Vietnamese deep water bay of Cam Ranh the place the frontline warship was handed over to Vietnam People’s Navy.

The Indian Navy stated the ship has been handed over to Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) with full “weapon complement”.

“Today’s handing-over ceremony symbolises the deep-rooted friendship and strategic partnership between India and Vietnam,” Admiral Kumar stated in his deal with on the occasion.

“What makes this occasion even more significant is the fact that this is the first-ever occasion that India is offering a fully-operational Corvette to any friendly foreign country,” he stated.

The Navy Chief stated the switch of INS Kirpan to the Vietnam People’s Navy resonates with India’s G20 imaginative and prescient of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — One Earth, One Family, One Future.”

Vietnam, an essential ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) nation, has territorial disputes with China within the South China Sea area.

India has oil exploration initiatives within the Vietnamese waters within the South China Sea. India and Vietnam have been boosting their maritime safety cooperation in the previous couple of years to guard widespread pursuits.

“Today’s event serves as a reaffirmation of our commitment to expand and deepen our defence partnership, not only bilaterally but also in the broader multilateral framework,” he stated.

Admiral Kumar hoped that INS Kirpan would proceed to navigate the huge seas, “upholding the principles of freedom, justice, and international rules-based order to be the pillar around which a ‘force for good’ be built”.

His feedback come within the backdrop of China’s rising army muscle flexing within the South China Sea.

“As we entrust INS Kirpan to the Vietnam Navy, we do so with complete confidence in their ability to operate and maintain this magnificent vessel,” the Navy Chief stated.

“We are certain that they will harness its immense potential to safeguard their national maritime interests, contribute to regional security, and foster peace and stability,” he added.

INS Kirpan was handed over to Vietnam after it was decommissioned from Indian Navy.

“On completing 32 years of illustrious service to the nation, Indian naval ship Kirpan has been decommissioned from the Indian Navy and handed over to VPN today,” the Indian Navy stated in an announcement.

INS Kirpan, since its commissioning in 1991, has been an integral a part of Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet and has participated in lots of operations over the past 32 years.

Manned by about 12 officers and 100 sailors, the ship is 90 metres lengthy and 10.45 metres in width with most displacement of 1,450 tons.

“The transfer of INS Kirpan from Indian Navy to Vietnam People’s Navy, symbolises the status of Indian Navy of being the ‘preferred security partner in  the Indian Ocean Region,” the Indian Navy stated.

INS Kirpan, an indigenously constructed Khukri-class missile corvette, was handed over to Vietnam according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s announcement final month that India will present an in-service missile corvette to the nation.

INS Kirpan departed on her closing journey below the Indian tricolour from India to Vietnam on June 28 and reached Cam Ranh, Vietnam, on July 8. 

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