Roberta Fedele Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — On the occasion of its maiden passage from Russia to India, Indian Navy's latest frigate INS Tarkash is on a goodwill visit to Saudi Arabia to further enhance and strengthen bilateral relations and encourage larger defense cooperation. INS Tarkash started its journey from Russia on Nov. 17 visiting the United Kingdom, Spain and Egypt before reaching Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao said during a press conference on board the ship: “Such goodwill visits are undertaken by fleets across the world to enable greater understanding between the navies and larger cooperation among nation states. “India and Saudi Arabia have common interests in ensuring security, stability and freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean Region including all adjoining seas. “The last goodwill visit to Saudi Arabia was undertaken in March by INS Tir, INS Shardul and ICGS Veera, three Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships. “From the Saudi side, two ships of the Royal Saudi Naval Force, HMS Dammam and HMS Yanbu, went on a goodwill visit to Mumbai on July 2008.” INS Tarkash is commanded by Capt. Antony George, who was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1987 and participated in the 1989 Indian peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka. An anti-submarine warfare specialist, George explained the main difficulty that characterizes his sector and announced the possibility of sharing expertise with the Saudi Maritime Border Unit. He said: “Unlike anti-surface warfare, in case of anti-submarine warfare sound is necessary to gather information about the target. “However, sound doesn't travel straight in the water and detecting a submarine underwater is a very difficult task. “During the ship's stay in Jeddah, there will be a close interaction between the crew of INS Tarkash and the Royal Saudi Navy. “After visiting the Saudi base and warships, our crew will welcome Saudi personnel on board INS Tarkash.” Built by Yantar shipyard and acquired on Nov. 9, INS Tarkash is the second of Talwar class stealth frigates constructed by Russia for the Indian Navy. The ship carries a mix of Russian and Indian modern systems, sensors and weapons that allow the navy's crew to face multiple threats and are fully integrated with a Combat Management System providing real time battle situational awareness. The navy's name, Tarkash, refers to a quiver full of arrows and finds its earliest mention in ancient Indian mythology. The quiver formed an integral part of the battle armor possessed by the valiant warriors who fought the epic battles of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Commander Sachin Sequiera guided members of the press through a tour on board INS Tarkash, describing the Navy's multipurpose nature and explaining its motto. He said: “The ship's motto ‘Vanguard of Victory' exemplifies its incredible combat potential. “True to her name, INS Tarkash is capable of carrying out combat operations on air, surface and below the surface thanks to its supersonic anti ship missiles, advanced surface to air missiles, upgraded 100mm medium range gun, optically controlled 30mm close-in weapon system, anti submarine and anti-ship torpedoes, rocket launchers and air launched ASW weapons.” “INS Tarkash incorporates the latest stealth features to outsmart the enemy and make itself difficult to detect. “It has a 124.8-meter overall length, a 15.2-meter beam and is powered by four gas turbines reaching more than 30 knots. “The navy can also operate one helicopter, the Air Early Warning helicopter Kamov 31 or the Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopter Kamov 28.” During their stopover at Jeddah Islamic Port, the 24 officers and 229 crew members are also enjoying the opportunity to get some vital rest and recreation by visiting the city and organizing receptions on board for Saudi officials, military personnel, diplomats and children from various schools of Jeddah.
