Port Blair: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has rebased two of its ships in Diglipur and Campbell Bay, on the northern and southern flanks of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, respectively.
Indian Coast Guard on X posted that “In a major boost to maritime security in Andaman and Nicobar Island, @IndiaCoastGuard ships have been rebased at northern and southern flanks of islands at Diglipur and Campbell Bay respectively”.
In a major boost to maritime security in Andaman & Nicobar islands, @IndiaCoastGuard ships Rajtarang & Rajkiran have been rebased at northern & southern flanks of Islands at Diglipur & Campbell Bay respectively. (1/2) @giridhararamane pic.twitter.com/KDFGpjtxyf
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) April 1, 2024
Indian Coast Guard also said on X that this rebasing will ensure enhanced coastal security, Maritime Law Enforcement, EEZ Surveillance, search and rescue, pollution response and swift response to maritime contingencies.
According to a formal statement released on Monday, the Indian Coast Guard has also strategically stationed additional hovercraft along the maritime border between India and Pakistan at Jakhau and a capital ship in the Gulf of Kutch at Vadinar. Minister of State of Defence (MOS Defence) Ajay Bhatt recently dedicated the new Coast Guard Jetty at Vadinar, where the specialist Marine Pollution Control Vessel ICGS Samudra Pavak will henceforth operate.
The Gulf of Kutch is a rapidly developing region, especially in the oil and port industries, where the facilities in the area handle 70% of the nation’s oil. The Gulf region is home to a wealth of biodiversity, living resources, fisheries, coral reefs, and mangrove vegetation. All of these are extremely vulnerable to an oil spill from the nearby oil industries, so the ICG’s decision to position the specialized vessel there will improve its ability to reduce environmental threats.
The three-day tour of the Indian Coast Guard ship Samudra Paheredar, a specialized pollution-control vessel, began earlier on March 25 at Manila Bay, Philippines. In addition to strengthening bilateral cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the visit of specialized Pollution Control Vessels is part of a larger initiative aimed at demonstrating ICG Marine Pollution Response capabilities and shared concern and resolve towards marine pollution in the ASEAN region.
From March 25 to April 12, an Indian Coast Guard ship will be sent abroad to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Brunei, three ASEAN nations. The Indian Coast Guard is currently on its third deployment to ASEAN nations. As part of the effort, ICG pollution control vessels made visits to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Cambodia earlier in 2023.
The ship is equipped with specialized marine pollution control equipment and a Chetak helicopter for pollution response configuration, designed to contain and recover spilt oil and augment the operation. The demonstration at visiting ports includes Pollution Response Training and a practical display of various equipment.
