Tamal during trials. Photo: Screenshot from Indian Navy video
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The Indian Navy’s newly commissioned frigate INS Tamal has left Finnish territorial waters after a monitored journey through the Gulf of Finland and the Åland Sea.
The 125-metre vessel, built in Kaliningrad, Russia, was tracked by the Finnish Navy and the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District. It first entered the region on Friday and turned south by Sunday afternoon, after reaching as far north as the Bothnian Bay.
On Monday morning, the vessel was located in international waters north of Gotland, Sweden, according to Markus Malila, public affairs officer for the Finnish Navy.
The frigate’s movements did not violate any maritime laws, and there is no suspicion of illegal activity. Malila said cooperation with Baltic Sea allies was routine in such cases.
“The reasons for the route remain speculative,” Malila said. “But current information gives no indication of unlawful behaviour.”
INS Tamal’s passage through Finnish territorial waters was classified as “innocent passage,” a term under international maritime law allowing transit without hostile intent. The Kvarken area, between Finland and Sweden, is narrow enough that large vessels often enter territorial waters of one of the two countries during transit.
Naval News, a defence technology website, reported that INS Tamal was delivered to the Indian Navy by Russia’s Yantar shipyard earlier this month. The warship is considered heavily armed for its class and size.
Its armaments include supersonic cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, an upgraded low-signature main gun, anti-submarine rocket launchers, torpedoes, decoy systems, and close-in weapon systems designed to intercept incoming threats.
The Indian government has described Tamal as the last warship India will receive from a foreign shipbuilder. Russia has supplied India with 51 naval vessels over the past 60 years.
Anadolu Agency
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
