We know that India actually has many partners in the Indian Ocean, such as Seychelles , Madagascar , etc. The Mauritius we are going to talk about today is also one of them.
The main reason why Mauritius has a very good relationship with India is that there are too many Indians in this place. It is reported that more than 65% of the residents of this place more than 4,000 kilometers away from India are Indians. Among the more than 1.2 million people in Mauritius, there are nearly 900,000 Indians. Even President Anaei Rod Jagannath and are both Indians. It is no wonder that the relationship between the two is so good.
President of Mauritius
And if someone goes to Mauritius, they will find that it is basically the same as going to India. The streets are full of Indian-style buildings, people's staple food in the restaurant is curry, and the TV shows are also Hindi programs . Indian customs and architecture can also be seen everywhere in Mauritius.
There is no difference from India
Therefore, a large part of the equipment of the Mauritian Armed Forces also comes from India.
In March 2011, Mauritian and Indian companies, Gardenridge Shipbuilding and Engineering located in Kolkata , signed an agreement to provide a ship. The displacement of this ship is about 1,300 tons, so it can be classified as A class of corvettes, the ship is currently in service and named Barracuda (31).
The scene of the Barracuda being launched in India
The ship is 74 meters long and 11.4 meters wide. The maximum sailing speed is 20 knots. It can sail 5,000 nautical miles at a speed of 12 knots. Although this range is not very large, it It is enough for Mauritius. The ship can sail at sea on its own for four weeks, has a crew of 62 people, and can also add beds.
The ship can carry a medium-sized helicopter, which can be matched with the two existing Skylark 3 helicopters in Mauritius, also provided by India. The ship has various uses and is also equipped with a loading hatch and a 10-ton crane. It can also It carries a 7.5-ton vehicle and personnel amphibious boat (load capacity 3.5 tons), a 4.2-meter work boat and a 4.7-meter inflatable boat.
In general, this ship is very suitable for the actual situation of Mauritius, which has vast waters but no one else nearby. The main advantage is that "one ship has multiple functions" and "spend less money and do more things".
It is reported that the total price of the ship is 58.5 million U.S. dollars. Although the total is not very large, it is of great significance to India’s ship manufacturing because this is the first time that India has provided thousands of tons to other than the Indian Navy itself. Naval ships above the level (although not large destroyers , etc.), and they are newly built ships. There are indeed only a few people in the world who can do this.
In addition to the thousand-ton "big ship" Barracuda, India's Goa Shipbuilding also provided two 48-meter-long small boats to Mauritius. The first one is reported to have been officially delivered in 2016. Yes, the No. 2 boat also entered service on August 17, 2017. The boat's maximum speed exceeds 35 knots and its range can reach 1,500 nautical miles. supporting equipment also includes 10 15.65-meter-long speedboats, priced at about 6 million US dollars.
In addition, Mauritius is also equipped with three Dornier aircraft provided by India.
Dornier
In addition to equipment cooperation, there is also news that on Agalega Island, which is about 1,100 kilometers away from the main island of Mauritius, about 12 kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers wide, and has only 300 residents. India has also built naval facilities and is also building two large docks and an airstrip more than 3 kilometers long.
Changes on Agalega Island, Mauritius
So, India cannot be underestimated.
Indian Navy Ship
