The Navies of South Africa, India and Brazil will take part in trilateral military exercises off the South African coast in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town from 10 to 26 September 2010. The acronym stands for India Brazil South Africa Maritime Exercises and it will be the second time the exercise is taking place.The aim and objective of the military exercise is to increase interoperability, enhance military and diplomatic understanding and cooperation among the Navies of the three nations.
It was decided that the IBSAMAR exercises will always be hosted in South Africa (due to our geographic location) and that the lead country will alternate.Two years ago it was the South African Navy that was the lead player, and this time the Indian Navy will be the lead navy. The Western Fleet of the Indian Navy will be fielding four of its frontline ships, namely Ins Mysore, Ins Tabar and Ganga and INs Aditya.Brazil’s Navy Will Field Frigate of the Niteroi Class and A Lynx Helicopter.The hosts, South Africa, will field the two frigates SAS Amatola and SAS Spioenkop, SAS Galeshewe, Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), in addition to one of their Type-209 submarines SAS Queen Modjadji I and SAS Drakensberg. The SA Air Force will deploy Oryx and Lynx Helicopters, as well as Gripen, Hawk and Impala aircraft.
The Indian ships will be on a two-month deployment and will also visit a few countries in Africa, Mauritius and the Seychelles. They will undertake mutually agreed upon capacity-building and capability enhancement activities during port-calls and also carry out training-interaction with the Armed Forces of the countries.
The efforts to forge strong and enduring multi-dimensional trilateral linkages between the leading economies of the South American, South African and South Asian regions has met with both support and success, leading to the creation, at Brasilia on 6June 2003, of the IBSA (India, Brazil, South African) Dialogue Forum. The main objective of this Dialogue Forum is to promote South-South dialogue, cooperation and the adoption of common position on issues of international importance.Defence cooperation ‘is one of the formally identified areas of constructive engagement between these three dynamic and fast-developing economies.
Given the realities of geography of three countries from three continents united by two oceans, this defence cooperation can be progressed most obviously in the maritime field. Thus, the navies of India, Brazil and South Africa met at Simon‘s Town in South Africa, from the 2 to 16May 2008, for the inaugural ’IBSA Maritime Exercise.
Notes to editors
Media will be awarded the opportunity to send photographers on an Offshore Patrol Vessel and a helicopter to take footage of ships arriving in Durban Harbour (Terminal). The times of arrival of the various ships will be as follows:
Arrival of Brazilian Ship:
Date:9 September 2010
Venue: Passenger Terminal, Durban Harbour
Arrival of Indian Ships:
Date:10 September 2010
Venue: Passenger Terminal, Durban Harbour
Media representatives are to note that space onboard the helicopter is limited. Those members that are interested in sending photographers to cover the arrival of ships to port must send their details (full names and telephone numbers) to Lieutenant Rachel Dulamo byno later than Wednesday 8 September 2010 at 12h00. The members will be accommodated on a first come, first serve basis. Those members that cannot be accommodated on a helicopter will be placed onboard an Offshore Patrol Vessel. Please note that media representatives are to wear comfortable clothes with closed shoes (no high heels). Those members who have been accredited will be contacted with the detailed time arrangements as to where they must be in order to be on time for either the helicopter or the OPV.
Editors can also send their journalists for a combined media briefing onboard an Indian ship Ins Mysore on 10 Sep 2010 at 15h00. The ship will be berthed at the M, N and O berth at the passenger terminal at Durban Harbour.
Enquiries:
Commander PrinceTshabalala
Cell: 078 4478964
E-mail: princetshabalala28@yahoo.com
Lieutenant Rachel Dulamo
Cell: 082 807 8057
E-mail: rachel.khumalo@yahoo.com
