PHOTO: SANDF
South Africa’s naval skills will be pitted against some of the world’s best as Ibsamar 2024 kicks off in Simon’s Town in the Western Cape.
Ibsamar, which stands for India, Brazil and South Africa Maritime Exercises, is a joint maritime exercise between the three countries’ navies and will run from today until the 18th of October.
The tri-national naval exercises aim to strengthen coordination and deepen partnerships between the countries on key maritime security matters.
The South African National Defence Force said this particular exercise intends to enhance the collective ability to combat shared challenges like piracy, illegal fishing, drug-trafficking, and other maritime crimes.
The previous edition of Ibsamar was in October 2022 around Algoa Bay, with no Brazilian participation.
Through Exercise Ibsamar 2024, the SANDF said it will have the “invaluable opportunity to test our skills as well as improve our competencies in the Joint Interdepartmental, Inter-Agency and Multinational (JIIM) environment”.
The SANDF said in a statement that it’s confident that the exercise “will not only deepen ties with Brazil and India, but will also enhance our own readiness to protect South Africa's maritime interests”.
