India has further strengthened its defence and maritime partnership with Seychelles by handing over five Laser Radial-class boats to the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) on Tuesday. The boats were handed over as part of India's development assistance to the island nation. The assistance was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State Visit to Seychelles in June this year.

The Indian High Commission in Victoria shared details of the handover in a post on X. It said, "Following the announcement by Prime Minister @narendramodi during #ByenveniModi his State Visit to Seychelles, five laser radial boats were handed over today by the High Commissioner of India to the Chief of Defence Forces, Seychelles Defence Force."

The boats are expected to support the training and development of SDF personnel. The Indian High Commission said they will help improve the seamanship skills of Seychelles Defence Forces personnel. The delivery also reflects India's continued efforts to strengthen the SDF's capabilities and operational capacity.

The handover comes as India and Seychelles continue to expand their long-standing defence and maritime cooperation. India has placed greater focus on supporting Seychelles in building its maritime security capabilities. The latest assistance adds to these efforts and further strengthens cooperation between the two countries in the Indian Ocean region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Seychelles in June this year to attend the 50^th Independence Day celebrations as the Guest of Honour becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to grace the occasion.

The visit also marked an important phase in India-Seychelles bilateral relations. The Ministry of External Affairs described Modi's visit as “highly successful” and a significant milestone in the bilateral ties.

During the visit, India and Seychelles reviewed their overall bilateral relationship and discussed ways to expand cooperation across several key areas. These included health, education, capacity building, digital transformation, sustainable development and social infrastructure.

Renewable energy was also an important area of cooperation. The two countries also agreed to further strengthen their partnership in maritime security and defence. These areas remain important for both countries as they work together to improve security and development in the Indian Ocean region.

India and Seychelles also signed 19 memoranda of understanding and agreements during the visit. The agreements covered several areas of bilateral cooperation. One of the key agreements was an extradition treaty aimed at helping the two countries tackle transnational crime.

The latest delivery of five Laser Radial boats is part of a broader effort to deepen India-Seychelles cooperation. It combines development assistance with support for maritime and defence capacity building. For Seychelles, the boats will provide additional resources for training and seamanship. For India, the handover reinforces its role as a reliable defence, maritime partner in the region.