Key Highlights:

  • INS Sudarshini hosted Italian Navy Chief Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto at Livorno, who interacted with the crew and cadets.
  • Indian Ambassador to Italy Vani Rao also visited the ship, welcoming Italian dignitaries onboard.
  • Indian Navy personnel visited the ITS Virginio Fasan frigate and the Italian Naval Academy during the port call.
  • INS Sudarshini undertook a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Italy's ITS Palinuro after arriving at Livorno on Wednesday.
  • The visit follows the ship's six-day Barcelona port call as part of its ongoing Lokayan 26 transoceanic expedition.

A High-Level Reception at Livorno

Indian Navy sail training ship INS Sudarshini hosted Italian Navy Chief Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto during its port call at Livorno, in an engagement that underscored the deepening maritime relationship between India and Italy. The Admiral was briefed on the ship's activities and spent time interacting with its crew and cadets, an exchange the Indian Embassy in Rome described as reflective of the enduring friendship and growing naval cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador Rao's Onboard Visit

Indian Ambassador to Italy Vani Rao also visited INS Sudarshini at Livorno, spending time with officers, sailors and cadets aboard the vessel and welcoming Italian dignitaries who attended a reception held on the ship. According to the Indian Embassy, Rao used the occasion to highlight the longstanding maritime linkages between India and Italy, as well as ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation on maritime security. She also extended wishes for fair winds and following seas to the crew as they continue their Lokayan26 voyage.

Why This Port Call Matters

Sail training deployments like Lokayan26 serve a dual purpose for the Indian Navy: they build seamanship and leadership skills among cadets while doubling as instruments of naval diplomacy across the ports the ship visits. The Livorno stop, involving both a chief-of-navy-level reception and ambassador-level engagement, signals that India views its maritime relationship with Italy as one worth reinforcing at multiple levels simultaneously, military and diplomatic, rather than treating the port call as a routine logistical stop.

Professional Exchanges Beyond the Ship

Beyond the receptions, Indian Navy personnel used the Livorno stop to visit ITS Virginio Fasan, an Italian Navy Carlo Bergamini-class frigate, as well as the Italian Naval Academy. The Indian mission in Italy noted that these visits fostered professional exchanges between the two navies and added further depth to the port call's programme, extending the engagement beyond ceremonial interactions into working-level naval cooperation.

A Passage Exercise With the Italian Navy

INS Sudarshini arrived at Livorno Port on Wednesday and, during its stay, carried out a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the Italian Navy's ITS Palinuro. The Indian Embassy described the exercise as having boosted interoperability and camaraderie between the two navies, framing it as evidence of both countries' shared commitment to deepening maritime cooperation. Passage exercises of this kind typically allow participating navies to coordinate manoeuvres and communication protocols, offering a practical dimension to what might otherwise remain largely symbolic port visits.

Part of a Larger Transoceanic Expedition

The Livorno engagement comes shortly after INS Sudarshini concluded a six-day port call in Barcelona, Spain, earlier in the week, as part of its ongoing Lokayan 26 transoceanic expedition. That Barcelona stop had similarly reaffirmed maritime ties between India and Spain, suggesting a broader pattern to the voyage: using an extended sailing expedition to systematically strengthen India's naval relationships across multiple European ports rather than concentrating engagement in a single destination.