The Emiri Naval Forces on Saturday carried out joint maritime exercises with the Italian and Indian naval forces in the territorial waters of Qatar.Missile boat Al Debal from the Emiri Naval Forces' fleet, commanded by Marine Lieutenant-Colonel Falah Mahdi al-Ahbabi and the Italian frigate (Carlo Margottini) commanded by Commander Giuseppe Lai participated in the exercise.The exercises included training on how to manoeuvre and defend a ship in the event of an external attack. It also dealt with visit and inspection (VBSS) and other exercises that contribute to the exchange of experiences between the two countries.The joint exercise focused on the sharing of experiences through the exchange of officers and personnel between the two sides in all stages of the exercise in order to maximise benefits.
Qatari and Italian naval personnel participating in the joint exerciseIn a statement, Commander of the Naval Operations Center Marine Brigadier General Mubarak Rashid al-Sulaiti said the combined exercises lead to the development of strong relations between friendly countries. In the joint exercise conducted with the Indian naval forces in the territorial waters of Qatar, Al Ghariya Q 02, a missile boat from the Emiri Naval Forces' fleet, commanded by Marine Major Ghanim Abdullah al- Kaabi and Indian Navy's destroyer 'INS Kolkata' commanded by Colonel Susheel Menon participated.The exercise included training on how to manoeuvre and defend a ship in the event of an external attack, in addition to approach exercise and the method of boarding and search and fire-fighting.The joint exercise focused on the sharing of experiences through the exchange of officers and personnel between the two sides in all stages of the exercise as well as training Qatari and Indian crews on support methods.Both the exercises were carried out as part of the concluding activities of the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (Dimdex 2018).