Why in News?

• Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri has reached Port of Darwin, Australia to participate in multilateral regional maritime exercise KAKADU 2018 conducted by Australia.
• The ship was earlier deployed in South China Sea and Pacific Ocean for over four months and had represented Indian Navy in multinational exercises MALABAR 18 at Guam and RIMPAC 18 at Hawaii.

Exercise KAKADU:

• It is premier multilateral regional maritime engagement hosted by Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and supported by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
• It was started in 1993. It is held biennially in Darwin and Northern Australian Exercise Areas (NAXA).
• Exercise KAKADU derives its name from Kakadu National Park, which is  protected area in the northern territory of Australia and located 171 km south-east of Darwin.
• During the exercise, professional exchanges in harbour and diverse range of activities at sea, including complex surface, sub-surface and air operations would enable sharing of best practices and honing of operational skills.

KAKADU 2018:

• Indian Navy’s participation in KAKADU 18 provides an excellent opportunity to engage with regional partners and undertake multinational maritime activities ranging from constabulary operations to high-end maritime warfare in a combined environment
• It is aimed at enhancing interoperability and development of common understanding of procedures for maritime operations.
• KAKADU 2018 is fourteenth edition of exercise scheduled to be held between August 29 and September 18, 2018.
• It will see participation of 23 warships, one submarine, 45 aircraft, 250 marines and approximately 52 foreign staff from over 25 different countries including India and china