In a bid to enhance bilateral engagements and engage in friendly naval exercises, four frontline ships of the Indian Navy have been deployed to seas of East Africa and South Indian Ocean, marking stepped up maritime cooperation with the countries of the region.

Naval ships INS Mumbai, INS Talwar, INS Yamuna and INS Deepak that reached Mombasa on October 15 and leave tomorrow, have been part of the goodwill visit aimed at further bolstering bilateral ties and reinforcing cooperation in maritime security with Kenya and East Africa, officials in ministry of external affairs said.

They said the visit seeks to underscore India's peaceful presence and solidarity with the friendly countries of the East African region and to strengthen existing bonds of friendship. India has maritime cooperation with countries of East Africa. India and Kenya also have maintained historical maritime trading links.