Indian Navy Singapore port call concludes as Eastern Fleet ships wrap their regional stop

The Indian Navy Singapore port call ended on Sunday, with three Eastern Fleet warships sailing out of Changi after a visit the service tied to its wider operational deployment across the region.

INS Udaygiri, INS Shakti and INS Kavaratti made the call. The three ships belong to the Eastern Fleet, the Visakhapatnam based force under the Eastern Naval Command, and had entered Changi Naval Base on 2 July before wrapping up on 5 July.

An Indian Navy statement said the deployment reaffirmed the maritime partnership between India and Singapore, and a shared commitment to a secure, stable and collaborative maritime domain.

Inside the Indian Navy Singapore port call

The three ships cover a spread of roles. INS Udaygiri is one of the Navy's newer Project 17A stealth frigates. INS Shakti is a fleet support tanker that keeps a task group at sea for longer stretches. INS Kavaratti is a Kamorta class anti submarine warfare corvette, built at Kolkata.

All three are Indian built.

Where the Eastern Fleet fits

The Eastern Fleet is the Navy's principal seagoing formation on the eastern seaboard. Its ships handle the bulk of India's engagement east of the Malacca Strait, from Singapore through to the wider Indo Pacific, and overseas deployments of this kind have become a routine part of its calendar rather than a one off event.

Cross deck visits with the Republic of Singapore Navy

During the stop, the Indian crews held professional engagements with the Republic of Singapore Navy. These included cross deck visits, where sailors from each side board the other's ships to compare drills, equipment and watchkeeping practice.

The Navy framed the exchanges as a way to strengthen interoperability and maritime cooperation between the two forces. Singapore sits astride some of the busiest sea lanes in the world, and the two navies have built up a long record of exercising and operating together.

Read the Indian Navy's post on the visit here: 



Act East and the MAHASAGAR vision

The Indian Navy Singapore visit slots into India's Act East policy and the MAHASAGAR framework, the maritime outreach New Delhi has used to describe its engagement with partners across the Indian Ocean and beyond. The Navy tagged the port call under its Bridges of Friendship banner.

A second Changi stop closed out

The ships had first pulled into Changi on 2 July. Sunday's departure closed out that visit, with the group returning to sea to continue its operational deployment to the region.

Changi Naval Base is Singapore's main naval facility and a regular stop for Indian warships transiting these waters.