MV Kavaratti and MV Corals arrived Kochi to a rousing welcome by Naval and other Officials in the presence of Shri KC Joseph, minister for Non Resident Keralite Affairs (NORKA) and Shri Hibi Eden, MLA on 18 Apr15 amidst fanfare by Naval Band.
The ships were received by the Chief Staff Officer, operations (CSO) of the Southern Commodore Alok Khanijo and Naval Officer in charge of Kerala (NOIC-KL) Capt Verghese Mathew. The ships had brought 475 passengers which included 337 Bangladeshi nationals, 65 Yemenis of Indian Origin besides 73 Indians . The ships which also had Marine Commandoes (MARCOS) on board were escorted by INS Tir upto harbour mouth after which they were led to their assigned berth by two Fast Interceptor Crafts (FIC).
