India and Oman share space in the Indian Ocean and also common concerns over piracy and other illegal activities in the waters. India also has an interest in maintaining security in shipping lanes used for oil exports officials said.

'The aim of the visit is to consolidate and enhance the interaction between the Indian and ROP Coast Guards and identify areas of mutual interest' said ICGS Sankalp's commander officer Deputy Inspector General Mukul Garg at a press conference on board the ship on Wednesday. ICGS Sankalp is also involved in activities such as search and rescue pollution response and scientific data collection. Its crew is scheduled to meet officials from ROP's Coast Guard and the Oman Maritime Security Centre as part of the visit.

'This ship coming here is aimed to improve the relations between the two countries' Coast Guards and for information sharing' said Capt Narayanan Hariharan defence attache in the Indian Embassy in Muscat.

ICGS Sankalp is the third Indian Coast Guard ship to visit Oman in as many years. As part of its trip to the Gulf the ship stopped in Qatar Saudi Arabia and UAE before visiting Oman. It is scheduled to return to India on February 15.