Indian naval ship INS Tushil makes historic visit to Durban

The Indian Naval Ship Tushil docked at the Port of Durban on Wednesday with the aim of further strengthening the historical and bilateral relations between India and South Africa.

The INS Tushil is a Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy.

During the visit, the crew had professional interactions with the South African Navy to enhance the already close relationship. There were also social engagements with select schools, who boarded the ship.

Today, a yoga session was followed by interactions with the Commodore Peter Varghese, the Commanding Officer of the INS Tushil; the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, Shri Prabhat Kumar; the Consul General of India to Durban, and Dr Thelma John David.

The INS Tushil is an upgraded version of the previous classes of ships and technologically more advanced and modern compared. Most of the technology onboard was replaced with Indian systems.

Varghese said there were 26 officers on board accompanied by 240 sailors.

“We’ve been moving from London to Casablanca, Romania, Lagos and Spain since December to finally reach South Africa. After we leave here on Friday, we will go back home to India.

“This marks the first trip in Indian waters. It is a privilege to be in one of our best partners' homes. South Africa means a lot to India, and the Indian Navy has had a long-standing relationship with the South African Navy."

On board are supersonic missiles that India has engineered and wants to export to Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries as well as their rocket launchers.

“This ship is more for its combat role. That's for traditional threats like combat for wartime but its function is multirole with it also being used for security at sea. It is deployed for missions against Somalian pirates, so it's versatile for both recreational and combat."

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