The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Ambassador Barry Faure, received the Commanding Officer of the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Chennai, Captain Suraj James Rebeira, accompanied by the Indian High Commissioner, H.E. Mr. Rohit Rathish, at Maison Quéau de Quinssy on Thursday, 13 November 2025.
During the meeting, Captain Rebeira noted that this was the ship’s maiden visit to Seychelles and shared an account of his crew’s recent experience in intercepting and apprehending suspected pirates. He also provided an overview of INS Chennai’s operational deployment in the Western Indian Ocean, highlighting the ship’s contribution to regional maritime security, anti-piracy patrols, and surveillance missions across key sea lanes of the north-western Indian Ocean.
Minister Faure expressed deep appreciation for India’s proactive role in helping maintain security in the region. He acknowledged the recent resurgence of piracy incidents in parts of the Western Indian Ocean and commended India’s continued efforts to safeguard international shipping and counter maritime criminality.
Discussions also covered areas of Seychelles-India partnership in maritime security, including Seychelles’ chairmanship of the Contact Group on Illicit Maritime Activities (CGIMA), cooperation through regional information-sharing mechanisms, and complementary efforts with wider partners, including the European Union’s Operation ATALANTA, to strengthen coordinated maritime governance across the region.