After a week of combat readiness operations, the South African Navy frigate SAS Spioenkop set sail to India on January 16, 2016 to participate in Exercise IBSAMAR V.
Exercise IBSAMAR is a Joint and Multinational Maritime Exercise held between the Indian Navy, Brazilian Navy and South African Defence Force.
The exercise has been in existence since 2008 and is an extension of the IBSA (India, Brazil, SA) agreement. This year, the exercise coincides with the International Fleet Review in Visakhapatnam, India which is scheduled to be held February 4 – 8, 2016.
Manufactured by the European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC) and a number of South African companies, SAS Spioenkop (F147) is the third of four Valour class frigates of the South African Navy.
SAS Spioenkop was built at the Blohm + Voss shipyards in Hamburg, Germany, and arrived in South Africa on May 31, 2004.
The ship’s first scheduled port of call for rest and recuperation during her sail to India is at Port Lois, Mauritius.