22 August 2016 PA-CN/16/20
Royal Australian Navy Ship HMAS Success Arrives in Chennai to Celebrate Madras Week
The Royal Australian Navy’s combat logistics ship HMAS Success arrived in Chennai Seaport this morning. The ship’s four-day goodwill visit occurs during Madras Week celebrations in the city.
The ship’s crew of 27 officers and 169 sailors look forward to enjoying Chennai’s warm hospitality. Captain Justin Jones said that this was his first visit to Tamil Nadu and he was particularly keen to try south Indian delicacies, including idli and dosa.
Along with Australia’s High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu and Consul-General to South India Sean Kelly, Captain Jones will make a courtesy call on the Mayor of Chennai, Mr Saidai Duraisamy on 24 August. On the same afternoon, the ship’s crew will play a friendly match against the Prince of Arcot’s XI for the ‘Madras Week Australia-India Friendship Cup’.
With support from the Australian Consulate-General’s Direct Aid Program (DAP), members of the ship’s crew have volunteered to visit a local school to interact with students and play a game of volley ball with them.
Following its stay in Chennai, Success will carry out a passage exercise with ships of the Indian Navy. Friendly navies carry out these ‘PASSEX’ to practice communicating and cooperating with each other at sea. Officers of the Royal Australian Navy will also call on the Indian Coast Guard based in Chennai.
High Commissioner Sidhu said ‘Australia and India held our first bilateral maritime naval exercise last year to better understand how we could work together in times of need. I am particularly pleased that the visit to Chennai by HMAS Success will further strengthen our maritime cooperation.’
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