Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kiltan arrived at Muara, Brunei on Friday and was accorded a warm welcome by the Royal Brunei Navy. The visit is part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet’s operational deployment to the South China Sea region.

According to the Ministry of Defence, this visit aims to further strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the two maritime nations. The naval engagement is focused on professional interactions, sports fixtures, social exchanges, and community outreach, reflecting the shared values of both navies.

During the port call, INS Kiltan’s crew will participate in various activities with their Bruneian counterparts. The visit will culminate with a Maritime Partnership Exercise at sea, involving tactical evolutions to bolster interoperability and exchange of best practices between the two navies.

INS Kiltan is the third of four indigenously designed and built P28 Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvettes by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata.

The ship’s deployment to Brunei comes on the heels of a recent visit by three Indian naval ships – INS Delhi, INS Shakti, and INS Kiltan – to Manila, Philippines, earlier this month. These visits are part of India’s broader operational deployment in the South China Sea region, aimed at enhancing maritime cooperation with friendly nations.

Tensions have been simmering in the South China Sea, where China has claimed almost the entire area, rejecting claims from other nations such as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam. An international ruling has stated that China’s claims have no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The relations between the two countries have been cordial and muted. Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships regularly visit the Philippines.

The participation of officers of the armed forces of both countries in various specialized training courses in each other’s countries has intensified as have visits by National Defence College delegations.

(Inputs from ANI)