Philippine, India coast guards to hold joint drill

MANILA - The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) are set to conduct an anti-piracy exercise as part of the ICG's goodwill visit, the PCG said Friday.

The PCG said in a statement that the personnel of the ICG vessel SAMRAT are set to conduct several other training activities with their Filipino counterparts. The Indian vessel arrived in the Philippines on Thursday and will stay in the country until Nov 12.

Aside from the anti-piracy exercise, the PCG said the visit will also include sports activities "to further foster a strong working and personal bond between the Indian Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard."

ICG SAMRAT is an advance offshore patrol vessel and has an overall length of 105 meters with 2,300  gross tonnages and maximum speed of 25 knots.