After a gap of one-and-a-half decade International Fleet Review will be held in India, wherein 100 warships from 60 countries are likely to participate.
The Second International Fleet Review in India will be held at Visakhapatnam on February 6, 2016. The first was organised in Mumbai in February 2001 and had witnessed over 60 warships from 22 countries.
“A Naval Fleet Review is a long-standing tradition of navies world-over. The Review was conceived as a show of naval might and readiness for battle. In India, thus far, ten Reviews have been held, with the first in 1953 and the latest in 2011. The Review aims at assuring the country of the Indian Navy’s preparedness, high moral and discipline,” said a Ministry of Defence spokesperson.
Spread over a couple of days, the International Fleet Review is scheduled to be held at Visakhapatnam with President of India Pranab Mukherjee scheduled to review the fleet of participating Indian and foreign warships off Visakhapatnam. The following day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over Op Demo and International City Parade.
Thereafter other activities are planned including International Maritime Conference, Exhibition on Naval systems and indigenisation, etc. at Visakhapatnam, which is also headquarters of Eastern Naval Command.
In the last three months, the Ministry of Defence and Indian Navy have begun preparations to conduct the Review at the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam.
