KARACHI: Two ships of the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) arrived in Karachi on Monday, to conduct a bilateral naval exercise, titled “Thamar Al Tayyab”, with Pakistan Navy. A statement from Pakistan Navy said that upon arrival at Karachi Port, the visiting ships ‘Rnov Al Sadh’ and ‘Rnov Al Bushra’ were given a warm welcome by senior officials of Pakistan Navy at an impressive initiation ceremony. The exercise which comprises of ‘harbour’ and ‘sea’ phases is a regular feature between Pakistan and Omani naval forces. The harbour phase is currently in progress and consists of various calls on mutual exchange of visits to the ships, table top discussions and harbour training serials as a preparatory warm up exercise for sea phase. The visit and joint exercises are aimed at improving interoperability for conducting combined maritime operations to ensure a stable maritime environment, which is vital for countries’ economic stability and growth as well as ensuring peace and security in the region. These exercises will further enhance coordination and understanding between the two navies both at operational and tactical levels. These exercises will continue till December 15. The visit of RNO task group is a testimony of Pak-Oman friendship and will enhance the interoperability and cohesion between the two navies, the statement added.