Navy Day: Indian Naval Ship Arrives Lagos Today

Eromosele Abiodun

An Indian naval warship, INS Tarkash, will today arrive in Lagos on a scheduled goodwill visit.
The visit of the Indian warship coincided with the Nigerian Navy Day that is celebrated every year on June 1.

The Defence Adviser, High Commission of India Abuja, Captain (IN) Gautam Marwaha, in a statement, said the visit of the ship at this opportune moment reiterates the strong bond between both navies in the larger context of growing bilateral defence cooperation between India and Nigeria.

“It also reflects the commitment of the Indian Navy to collaborate with the Nigerian Navy in the face of growing global maritime security challenges. A joint exercise will be conducted between Nigerian and Indian navy ships at the end of the visit.

“The visiting ship, INS Tarkash is a state-of-the-art inaugurated into the Indian Navy on November 09, 2012. Packed with a high density of weapons and sensors and manned by a highly motivated crew of 300 personnel, she is one of the most potent platforms of the Indian navy.

“The ship carries cutting edge weaponry which includes supersonic anti ship missiles, advanced surface to air missiles, medium range guns, close in weapon system, anti-submarine and anti-ship torpedoes and rocket launchers. Powered by four gas turbines and sophisticated controls, the ship is capable of doing speeds in excess of 30 knots.