The Indian naval ship INS Sahyadri will arrive in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang on October 1 for a six-day visit, the local Department of Information and Communications said on Monday. On board the warship will be about 300 Indian naval officers and sailors led by Colonel Kunal Singh Rajkumar, the commanding officer. A ceremony will be held at Tien Sa Port on Thursday to welcome the guests, who will, together with Indian military attaché in Vietnam P. L. Punia, pay a courtesy visit to the leaders of the Da Nang administration later. During the visit that will last until October 6, the ship’s naval force will join Vietnam People’s Navy units in a search and rescue drill.   The Indian guests will also invite Vietnamese naval officers and other municipal officials to tour their ship during its stay in the city. A volleyball friendly will be organized for the Indian naval officers to play with their counterparts from the Vietnamese Naval Zone 3. INS Sahyadri is one of three Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigates of the Indian Navy. The vessel has a length of 142.5 meters, a width of 16.9 meters, and a draft of 4.5 meters. It has a full load of over 6,000 tons and can travel at 32 nautical miles per hour (59 kph). The warship boasts an array of advanced weaponry in her arsenal. As shown on the website of the Indian Navy, INS Sahyadri is armed with long-range anti-ship missiles, medium- and short-range surface to air missiles augmented by powerful guns of different calibers. The ship also carried two integral multi-role helicopters that act as force multipliers in all maritime scenarios due to their versatility and long range, the website said. With such weapons and equipment, INS Sahyadri is among the most advanced warships of its kind of the Indian Navy, according to VTC News.  The coming visit will be the third by Indian naval ships to Da Nang over the three consecutive years since 2013.   On October 14, 2014, the Indian Coast Guard ship Samudra Paheredar, with 122 crew members on board, arrived at Tien Sa for a three-day visit that included a joint search and rescue exercise with Vietnamese forces. In June 2013, four Indian naval ships with about 1,200 officers and crew members aboard arrived at Tien Sa for a four-day visit during which a joint search and rescue drill was conducted.

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