Indian Naval Ships Ranvijay and Kavaratti and submarine INS Sindhukesari arrived in Singapore to participate in the 30th edition of the Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX), an annual bilateral Naval exercise between the Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), which is being conducted since 1994. SIMBEX holds the distinction of being the longest continuous naval exercise that Indian Navy has with any other country.

SIMBEX-2023 is being conducted in two phases - Harbour Phase at Singapore from 21 to 24 September 2023, followed by a Sea Phase. Besides Ranvijay, Kavaratti and Sindhukesari, Long-Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I is also participating in the exercise.

The Harbour Phase will witness a wide range of professional interactions, cross-deck visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE) and sports fixtures, aimed at enhancing interoperability and mutual understanding between the two navies.

The Sea Phase of SIMBEX 23 will involve complex and advanced air defence exercises, gunnery firings, tactical manoeuvres, anti-submarine exercises and other maritime operations. Units of both the navies will endeavour to hone their war-fighting skills while consolidating their capability to undertake multi-discipline operations jointly in the maritime domain.