The lead ship of the class, INS "Shivalik", was deployed in the North West Pacific for JIMEX 2012 (Japan-India Maritime Exercise) with four other ships which included , a "Rajput"-class guided missile destroyer, , a "Deepak"-class fleet tanker, and , a "Kora"-class corvette, and took part in India's first bi-lateral maritime exercise with Japan. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) was represented by two destroyers, one maritime patrol aircraft and a helicopter. After the deployment in the north Pacific, the battle group was deployed in the South China Sea. As part of India's "Look East" policy, the ships visited the Shanghai port on 13 June 2012, for a five-day goodwill tour. INS "Shakti" served as the fuel and logistics tanker to the three destroyers. The ships left the port on 17 June 2012. Before leaving the port, the ships conducted a routine passage exercise with the People's Liberation Army Navy.