Indian warships arrive in Phl for 5-day goodwill visit

MANILA, Philippines - Four Indian Navy ships on Wednesday arrived at the Philippine Navy's headquarters along Manila Bay for a five-day goodwill visit.

Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Gregory Fabic said that the ships' crew will pay courtesy calls and engage in goodwill games with their Philippine counterparts, shipboard tours and passage exercises.

The Indian ships that docked in Manila are Deepak-class fleet tanker INS Shakti (A57), Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate INS Satpura (F48), Rajput class destroyer INS Ranvijay (D55), and Kora class corvette INS Kirch (P62).

The ships under the command of Rear Admiral P Ajit Kumar, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (Focep) will depart on June 16.

The Philippines and India share a common rival claimant in China, whose troops breached Indian territory resulting in a three-week standoff last April.