INS Trishul Safaga port call ended on Monday, when the Indian Navy's guided missile frigate sailed from the Egyptian naval base on the Red Sea coast for the next phase of her operational deployment.

It was her second stop in Egypt in two months.

INS Trishul Safaga visit included talks with Red Sea Naval Base commander

The Commanding Officer of INS Trishul called on Rear Admiral MD Abd El Maksoud, Commander, Red Sea Naval Base, according to the Ministry of Defence. Their discussions covered maritime security in the Gulf of Suez and in the Red Sea.

The crew also went aboard the Egyptian Navy ship ENS Port Said (976) to learn about her operational capabilities and the practices followed by the Egyptian Navy. Port Said is a Gowind 2500 class corvette. She was the first warship of her type built in Egypt, at Alexandria Shipyard, under a technology transfer arrangement with France's Naval Group, and was handed over to the Egyptian Navy in January 2021.

Indian and Egyptian divers trained together

Personnel of the two navies held reciprocal interactions and joint diving training during the INS Trishul Safaga stay. The ministry said these engagements allowed both sides to exchange operational experience and share best practices.

Port call follows 11th India Egypt Joint Defence Committee meeting

The visit comes about six months after the 11th India Egypt Joint Defence Committee (JDC) met in Cairo from 20 to 22 April. The Indian delegation was led by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) in the Ministry of Defence. The two sides agreed on a defence cooperation plan for 2026-27 covering joint training, maritime security and defence production. The first Navy to Navy Staff Talks between the two forces were also held during the meeting.

The JDC works under the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation signed in September 2022. India and Egypt raised their ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2023. In September this year, the Indian Air Force's Sarang Helicopter Display Team flew at the El Alamein International Airshow.

INS Trishul first called at Alexandria in September

INS Trishul was at Alexandria from 14 to 17 September. The Egyptian Navy ship Al Qadeer escorted her into harbour, and her crew paid homage at the Chatby War Memorial to soldiers of the two World Wars. She also held a Passage Exercise with ENS Bernees. Before Egypt, she called at Djibouti on 6 September. In August, she and the combat logistics ship INS Aditya escorted the crude tankers MT Compass and MT Thalatta through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Navy said at the time.

From Alexandria, the Talwar class frigate went on to exercises with the French Navy and the Royal Navy and port calls in Spain, Portugal and Italy, where her crew went aboard the carrier ITS Cavour at Civitavecchia. Earlier this month, she closed a port call at Souda Bay in Greece with a Passage Exercise with the Hellenic Navy frigate HS Limnos.

Indian warships have called at Safaga before

INS Trikand visited Safaga from 6 to 8 October 2025. Her Commanding Officer, Captain Sachin Kulkarni, called on Rear Admiral Ramy Ismail, then Commander, Red Sea Naval Base.

That was not Trikand's first visit. The frigate entered Safaga in October 2015 for a three day call during a deployment to West Asia, Africa and Europe. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Egypt is a major transit hub for Indian aircraft and naval ships heading to or returning from overhauls and exercises in Europe and the Atlantic.