Panaji: French frigate (FREMM) Languedoc on Friday completed an operational stop at Mormugao port as part of its ongoing deployment in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Deployed on a mission covering both theatres, Languedoc is conducting surveillance, situation assessment and protection duties amid hostilities between Iran and the US.According to the embassy of France in India, one of the French navy’s flagship vessels arrived in Mormugao on Aug 31. During the five-day visit, officials from the French and Indian navies held interactions aimed at reinforcing the decades-long relationship between the two services.The Indian Navy’s Goa command welcomed the ship and its crew, including an official lunch onboard attended by Commodore L M. Fernandes, deputy commander of the Goa naval area, and Agnes Silva, deputy consul of France in Mumbai.The programme had an educational element too. A French-speaking class from the Navy Children School in Goa toured the ship to learn about life aboard a modern French combat vessel. French and Indian sailors also exchanged expertise on logistics for deployed units, anti-drone warfare and underwater diving.The embassy said that, despite volatility in the operational environment, the Mormugao stopover was the third visit by a French naval vessel to India this year, highlighting France’s sustained naval presence and commitment to maritime security in the IOR.France and other European nations have deployed warships on defensive and support missions to escort merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where commercial vessels have come under attack.The two navies are scheduled to reconnect later this month near Toulon in the Mediterranean Sea for VARUNA 2026, the annual Indo-French bilateral naval exercise.
