Manama, Dec 25 (IANS): India is keen to help the Bahraini coast guard upgrade its skills in containing oil spills and conducting search and rescue operations, a senior Indian Coast Guard official said.

Indian Coast Guard ship Vijit arrived in Bahrain Wednesday on a four-day visit as part of efforts to enhance maritime cooperation, the Gulf Daily News reported Thursday.

"This offshore patrol vessel (OPV) is capable of combating oil spills, designed to carry one twin engine light helicopter and five high speed boats for search and rescue operations," the Indian ship's commanding officer, Rakesh Pal, said at a press conference.

"We want to explore these areas with Bahraini coast guards so that they know about our capabilities and experience in dealing with different situations," he added.

The vessel is docked at Mina Salman Port until Saturday as part of its 25-day deployment programme which also includes Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Commander Pal said that India has world class maritime training and support facilities, adding that they were being used by coastguards of many countries.

"The Coast Guard Academy in Kerala is being developed and capable of training hundreds of cadets including foreign coastguards," he added.

India's Ambassador to Bahrain Mohan Kumar said that India was also cooperating with the 30-member Combined Maritime Forces based in Bahrain, which has been formed to defeat terrorism, prevent piracy, encourage regional cooperation and promote a safe maritime environment.