Indian naval ship Tarangini set to dock in Qatar today
INS Tarangini, the first sail training ship of the Indian Navy would arrive at Doha Port today on a three-day visit to Qatar.
In the framework of the deep-rooted friendly ties, multi-faceted and growing cooperation between India and Qatar, this is the second time in last three months that an Indian Naval Ship is visiting Qatar. Apart from the visit of Indian Coast Guard ship Samarth in November 2017, Indian Naval Ships Kolkata and Mumbai had visited Qatar this year in March and September respectively.
This visit is a testimony to the friendly ties between India and Qatar and will further enhance maritime co-operation between the two countries.
The name Tarangini is derived from the Hindi word ‘Tarang’ meaning waves; and Tarangini meaning ‘the one that rides the waves’. Built in Goa Shipyard Limited, the ship was commissioned in the Indian Navy on November 11, 1997. The vessel has a steel hull, with an aluminium deckhouse and teak wood deck and interiors. She carries 20 sails, with a total sail area of almost 10,000sq ft. The ship has excellent endurance and can remain at sea continuously for a period of over 20 days.
Tarangini has an illustrious history when it comes to long voyages and holds the distinction of being the only commissioned ship of Indian Navy to circumnavigate the globe. During the 15 months voyage in 2003-04, Tarangini achieved this by covering a distance of over 61,000km and visited 36 ports in 18 countries. Since then, Tarangini has sailed to The Great Lakes in Canada for races and has also participated in European tall ship races. Tarangini won The Royal Thames Yacht Club Challenge Trophy in 2005 at Europe and stood third in Youth Sailing Division in 2007 at USA.
The ship has recently completed a seven month long voyage to Europe in October 2018 visiting 15 ports in 13 countries. During the voyage, the ship participated in the culmination ceremony of the Biscay Tall ship race at Bordeaux, France and also took part in a Tall Ship race starting from Sunderland, United Kingdom.
Over the years, the ship has been extensively deployed for long periods away from her home port. She also undertook four ‘Lokayan’ (major global voyages) to participate in Tall Ship races in Europe and North America. During the last 15 years, Tarangini has participated in 13 expeditions, sailing over 188,000 nautical miles, remaining at sea for over 2,100 days, visiting 74 ports in 39 countries.
The ship is commanded by commander Rahul Mehta and has a complement of eight officers and forty sailors. In addition, the ship can accommodate and impart sail training to 30 cadets.