Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Robin Kumar Dhowan on Wednesday announced that the newly inducted aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, is now operationally deployed and its integral MiG-29K fighters have been fully integrated with the carrier.

Admiral Dhowan urged Navy personnel to strive for professional excellence with a view to restoring the image of the Navy, which had been marred following some untoward incidents in the recent past.

Earlier, he inspected a ceremonial guard of honour at the Southern Naval Command here.

Stressing the importance of the men behind machines, Admiral Dhowan, on his maiden visit to the Southern Naval Command here after taking over the reins of the force, said while the multi-dimensional maritime force maintained high professional standards, the very nature of its job put the Navy and warships in harm’s way.

“However, we follow stringent procedures, have taken serious note of incidents and whatever recommendations for enhancement of safety thereon and continue to carry out safety audit of platforms to ensure that standard operating procedures are not bypassed. Safety check of platforms is carried out on a regular basis,” he said.