The Myanmar Navy is all set to receive its first submarine namely “Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sindhuvir”, a Kilo class submarine which will be handed over by India under its vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) to provide guaranteed security for all maritime partners.
- This announcement was made on October 15, 2020 during a weekly press interaction of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) which was addressed by its official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.
- The Myanmar Navy will initially use INS Sindhuvir for training and orientation purposes for its Navy personnel as it has a capacity of staying underwater for almost 45 days.
- This decision came after the visit of India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Mukund Naravane to Myanmar on October 4-5, 2020, where they held talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and Commander in Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
About INS Sindhuvir:
India purchased this diesel-electric attack submarine from the Soviet Union in the 1980s and has undergone modernisation at the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam, (Andhra Pradesh).
- A kilo class submarine has a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, a length of 74 metres and a beam of 10 metres.
- It is manned by a crew of 15 officers and 60 sailors and can participate in various fleet, tactical and theatre level exercises.
- Kilo-class submarines are operated by Indian, Chinese, Russian and Iranian Naval forces and were designed by the Rubin Central Maritime Design Bureau for Marine Engineering, St Petersburg (Russia).
Points to be noted:
-Myanmar is one of India’s strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-kilometer (km) long border with Arunachal Pradesh (AR), Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
-Myanmar also shares a 725 km maritime boundary with India.
-As part of the 2017 Indo-Myanmar export deal worth USD 37.9 million, India delivered the first batch of Advanced Light Torpedo (TAL) Shyena to Yangon in 2019 which was manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
Recent Related News:
- On August 28, 2020, India granted the 4th tranche of $5 million to Myanmar for the development of the India-Myanmar Border Area. In this regard, the Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Saurabh Kumar handed over the ceremonial cheque to Lt-Gen Ye Aung, Minister for Border Affairs, Myanmar.
- On July 22, 2020, India and Maldives inked an agreement to set up Geydoshu Mas Plant (Neighbourhood Fish Processing Plants) at two islands in the Addu city of Maldives namely Maradhoo and Hulhudhoo.
About Myanmar:
Capital– Naypyitaw
Currency– Myanmar kyat
President– Win Myint
