Singapore-India naval exercise commences

Visakhapatnam: The 31st edition of the Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) is scheduled till October 29 in the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam.

SIMBEX, which began as ‘Exercise Lion King’ in 1994, has evolved into one of the most significant bilateral maritime collaborations between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

Republic of Singapore Navy Ship RSS Tenacious with embarked helicopter arrived in Visakhapatnam on October 23 for participating in SIMBEX-2024.

The exercise will be conducted in two phases, harbour phase from October 23 to 25 in Visakhapatnam and sea phase from October 28 to 29 in the Bay of Bengal. This year’s edition aims to further strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Singapore by enhancing interoperability, improving maritime domain awareness, and fostering cooperation to address common maritime challenges. The harbour phase includes subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs), cross-deck visits, sports fixtures, and pre-sail briefings between personnel from both navies. Advanced naval drills, including live weapon firings, anti- submarine warfare (ASW) training, anti-surface and anti-air operations, seamanship evolutions, and tactical manoeuvres form a part of the sea phase.

Marking the beginning of ‘SIMBEX24’, the opening ceremony was carried out on Thursday onboard INS Shivalik in the presence of the participating units of the Eastern Fleet and the Singapore Navy.