Panaji: Days after an officer died fighting a fire on board INS Vikramaditya, the aircraft carrier will participate in the upcoming 10-day Indo-French naval exercise ‘Varuna 19.1’ which gets underway here on Wednesday. An Indian Navy statement also said that the exercise will be conducted in two phases - the harbour phase at Goa, which would include cross-visits, professional interactions and sports events, and the sea phase, which comprises various exercises across the spectrum of maritime operations. “From the Indian side, the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, destroyer INS Mumbai, the Teg-class frigate, INS Tarkash, the Shishumar-class submarine, INS Shankul and the Deepak-class fleet tanker, INS Deepak, will be participating in this exercise,” it added. Part two of the exercise, ‘Varuna 19.2’, is scheduled to be held at the end of May in Djibouti. The bilateral naval exercises, initiated in 1983 and christened ‘Varuna’ in 2001, form a vital part of the Indo-French strategic partnership and has grown in scope and complexity over the years. (IANS)
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