INS Trishul Wraps Up Egypt Port Call at Safaga Naval Base

The Ministry of Defence said on 11 November 2026 that the Indian Naval Ship INS Trishul had finished its visit to the Safaga Naval Base in Egypt on 9 November 2026. The stop formed one leg of the warship's continuing operational deployment, and the vessel sailed on for the next phase of that deployment once the programme at the base was over.

Why the stop matters

The Ministry set the visit against the backdrop of the 11th India-Egypt Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting, held in Cairo in April 2026. That meeting built an institutional framework for carrying forward the defence commitments the two countries had made under the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation signed in September 2022. Earlier, in 2023, India and Egypt had raised their relationship to the level of a Strategic Partnership. The call was therefore presented as one more step in a defence and maritime relationship that has been broadening year by year.

Meetings ashore and afloat

The Commanding Officer of INS Trishul called on Rear Admiral MD Abd El Maksoud, Commander of Egypt's Red Sea Naval Base. Their discussion covered the security of shipping in the Gulf of Suez and the strategic weight the Red Sea carries for both navies. Sailors from the Indian ship also went aboard the Egyptian Naval Ship ENS Port Said (976), where they were shown the vessel's operational capabilities and briefed on the working methods the Egyptian Navy follows.

Training together

Personnel of the two navies visited each other's units, and the two sides carried out joint diving training during the stay. Such exchanges let the crews compare operational experience, pass on working practices and build a clearer understanding of how the partner navy operates at sea. The Ministry said the visit restated the long-standing defence ties between the two nations and their shared interest in keeping sea lanes secure and the region stable.

Key details at a glance

For aspirants, the chain of dates is the part worth fixing in memory: the defence cooperation understanding of September 2022, the upgrade to a Strategic Partnership in 2023, the eleventh sitting of the Joint Defence Committee at Cairo in April 2026, and this port call wrapping up on 9 November 2026.