India and EU ships conducted joint activities in Gulf of Guinea, in an effort to reinforce naval maritime security cooperation in support of the region on 24 Oct 2023. The exercise followed the third meeting of EU-India Maritime Security Dialogue on 05 Oct 2023 in Brussels. During the exercise, Indian Navy’s INS Sumedha was joined by three EU Member States’ ships in Gulf of Guinea namely Italian Navy Ship ITS Foscari, French Navy Ship FSVentôse and Spanish Navy Ship Tornado. The four ships practiced a series of tactical manoeuvers in international waters off the coast of Ghana, including a boarding exercise, a flying exercise using helicopters and transfer of personnel between ships. This exercise was followed by a knowledge sharing session in Accra, Ghana which built on the joint experience at sea to improve operational know-how. The session also helped deepen ties between Ghanaian officials and representatives of Indian, EU and EU Member States missions to Ghana. These activities underlined the shared commitment of India and EU to supporting coastal States and Yaoundé Architecture in ensuring maritime security in Gulf of Guinea. They reflected the breadth and dynamism of EU-India cooperation on maritime security, and signalled common determination to uphold United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea UNCLOS.
