The Indian Navy formally reintegrated the Trinkat class fast attack craft, INS Tarmugli, at the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam. This came after the vessel was returned by the Maldivian Naval Defence Force in May of this year. The commissioning ceremony was conducted under the auspices of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command Chief of Materiel Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani.

The Manmohan Singh government presented the Maldivian Naval Defence Force with a refurbished Trinkat class ship that was 22 years old in 2006. After serving in the Maldivian force for more than 17 years, the vessel has returned to India.

Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal highlighted that “the ship holds a unique distinction, having served under the flags of two nations and bearing three names throughout its distinguished service to date.”

Before its presentation to the Maldives, the ship, previously known as INS Tillanchang in the Indian Navy, played a role in India's diplomatic outreach program in the Indian Ocean Region. The vessel officially joined the Maldives Naval Defence Force as MCGS Huravee on April 16, 2006, and diligently served until its decommissioning in May 2023.

Simultaneously, the ship was returned to the Indian Navy. Additionally, the Indian Navy supplied a new in-service waterjet fast attack craft, INS Tarmugli, to the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), replacing the previously named MCGS Huravee.

After thoroughly inspecting the returned ship, the Indian Navy decided to refurbish and repair it for reintroduction into its force. The vessel underwent significant repair and upgrades at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam over the last six months. It is set to be commissioned as 'INS Tarmugli' in a ceremony featuring Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani.

In 2018, INS Tarmugli was refitted in Visakhapatnam. Now equipped with MTU engines, modern communication gear, a 30-mm gun, and advanced radar, it actively serves in coastal surveillance and protects offshore areas along the East Coast. Commanded by Cdr Satpal Singh Sangwan, the 46-meter ship, named after an Andaman island, weighs 320 tonnes and can exceed 30 knots in speed.

The vessel, designed and constructed by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on March 17, 2001. In May of this year, India's defense minister, Rajnath Singh, visited the Maldives to bolster bilateral ties.

During the visit, he presented two "Made-in-India" platforms—a Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) and a Landing Craft Assault ship—to the Maldives National Defence Forces. It is noteworthy that, at the time, a pro-India government was in power in the island nation.

However, in September there was a political shift in the Maldives resulting in the newly elected president Mohamed Muizzu expressing a preference for closer ties with China. Following his assumption of power in the archipelago nation, President Muizzu requested Indian military personnel to depart from the atoll nation in November.

Image source: Asia Net news