INS Sudarshini Livorno departure came on Saturday, the Indian Navy's sail training ship setting sail from the Tuscan port on completion of a successful port call under her Lokayan 26 transoceanic voyage.

The stay closed with a run of professional interactions and cross training visits between Indian and Italian personnel.

INS Sudarshini Livorno Departure Followed a Call by the Italian Navy Chief

Adm Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, Chief of the Italian Navy, visited INS Sudarshini during the stopover and interacted with the ship's crew and trainees, defence sources said. He was briefed on the ship's ongoing voyage and her training activities.

The visit set the tone for the wider programme of engagements that followed through the rest of the stay.


Commanding Officer Calls on Livorno's Naval and Civic Leadership

The Commanding Officer of INS Sudarshini called on Rear Adm Alberto Tarabotto, Commandant of the Italian Naval Academy, and shared experiences from the ship's ongoing expedition, according to reports at the time. Separate interactions during the stay were held with Mr Luca Salvetti, Mayor of Livorno, and Mr Edoardo Lombardi, Vice Prefect of Livorno, rounding out a full programme of calls on the city's naval and civic administration.

Training Exchanges Extend to ITS Virginio Fasan

As part of the training exchanges, Indian sea trainees visited ITS Virginio Fasan and the Italian Naval Academy, while Italian naval personnel visited INS Sudarshini in turn, fostering professional cooperation between the two navies.

Both crews came away with a closer sense of how the other trains its sailors.

Cross Deck Visits Extend a Pattern Set Earlier in the Voyage

Such visits have run through most stops of Lokayan 26, port after port, ever since the voyage set out from India earlier this year.

Deck Reception Draws Diplomatic and Civic Guests

A deck reception was hosted onboard INS Sudarshini during the final stretch of the stay, attended by senior Italian naval officers, local authorities, diplomatic representatives and other distinguished guests, defence sources said.

Voyage Builds on Earlier Lokayan 26 Port Calls

The Livorno visit had opened with a Passage Exercise against the Italian Navy's ITS Palinuro and an early round of courtesy calls, following the ship's arrival in the Tuscan port. Livorno itself followed the ship's departure from Barcelona earlier in the leg.