French Navy ships call at Kochi port

French Navy's 21,600-tonne amphibious assault ship, also called Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), Mistral, together with Anti-Submarine Warfare Destroyer Georges Leygues, arrived here on Thursday on a three-day port call, Hindu.com reports.


The ships, on what is termed as the ‘Jean D'Arc Mission'— a five-month-long training voyage to expose about 134 midshipmen, including 25 service women, to defence drills, naval diplomacy and geo-strategic issues— will leave Kochi for Singapore on Sunday. The training cruise is slated to conclude at the Mistral's homeport in Toulon in July.


French Ambassador to India Jerome Bonnafont, who arrived here in connection with the visit of the warships, along with Vice-Admiral Marin Gillier, Commander of the French Forces in the Indian Ocean (ALINDIEN), called on Vice-Admiral Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command on Thursday. During the French ships' port call here, ship visit exchanges, drills, and interaction would be held between French Navy personnel and personnel from Indian Navy's Kochi-based Southern Naval Command.


Speaking about the visit, Vice-Admiral Gillier said that the mission's primary goal was to have the cadets discover what was significant in the Indian Ocean. He said the visit to India was important as it was a central country in the region and an emerging super power that used power in a responsible way.


Soon after the start of Jean D' Arc Mission on February 28, the Mistral was called back and tasked with shipping humanitarian aid to the strife-torn Libya, Captain Xavier Moreau, Commanding Officer of LHD Mistral, said.


LHD Mistral being a multipurpose ship is equipped to carry out amphibious operations. ASWD George Leygues, which escorts the Mistral, is designed to perform anti-ship and anti-aircraft roles besides its anti-submarine warfare capability.
(Source:http://en.portnews.ru)