The 41-day anti-piracy mission by the Indian Navy’s frigate INS Tarkash in the Gulf of Guinea was concluded (GoG). An Indian Navy destroyer has never before made a deployment to the West African continent. The Gulf of Guinea region, which is located in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean, experiences a high level of marine crime and is a significant shipping zone for oil and gas.
The INA Tarkash made port calls in the following countries: Dakar, Senegal; Lome, Togo; Lagos, Nigeria; and Port Gentil, Gabon. The deployment was used for capacity-building activities such training in damage management, firefighting, diving, medical aspects, and casualty evacuation, in addition to anti-piracy patrol and cooperative patrols with the regional navies.
The Russian-origin Indian Navy ship maintained a high level of combat readiness throughout the 4315 nautical mile cruise. Onboard weaponry systems like the main 100mm naval gun and the Ak-630 (6x30mm) close-in weapon system were fired as part of the battle preparedness. Along with other weapons, crew members on board the ship also fired mounted machine guns and sniper rifles.
