India to transfer naval patrol craft to the Maldives

As part of ongoing endeavours to reach out to the maritime nations in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Navy will transfer the Fast Attack Craft INS Tillanchang to the Maldives early next year.

Admiral Prakash said the Indian offer included a Rs 6 crore- component for technical, material and training assistance over a three-year period following the transfer.

The Indian Navy already provides training and hydrographic assistance to the Maldives. Naval ships visit the Maldives on a regular basis and there have been as many as seven such visits so far this year. The Indian and the Maldives Coast Guard have also held regular exercises under the 'Dosti' series.

Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, she was commissioned in March 2001 and is presently deployed with the Andaman & Nicobar Command.