On January 12, the coast guards of India and Japan conducted a joint real-time response exercise to rescue the crew of a ship in distress off Chennai, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
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Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships during a joint exercise with the Japan Coast Guard in the Bay of Bengal on January 12. (Source: IANS) |
ANI news agency said the exercise, codenamed “Sahyog Kaijin”, took place in the Bay of Bengal.
Indian Coast Guard Ship Shaurya (ICGS) and Japan Coast Guard Ship Yashima (JCGS), equipped with advanced equipment, moved quickly to rescue the crew of two ships MT Matsyadristi and MV Anveshika after a simulated collision resulted in fire and oil leakage on board MT Matsyadristi.
Immediately after receiving the distress call, ICGS fast patrol boats Annie Besant and Rani Abbakka rushed towards the scene to initiate rescue operations.
To assist rescue ships in reaching the exact location, two Dornier aircraft were deployed for locating missions.
As the crew was evacuated for medical treatment, coast guard vessels used firefighting equipment to put out the fire. In addition to small rescue boats, remote-controlled buoys were also used to rescue people in distress at sea.
In addition, the two countries' forces also demonstrated their capabilities in preventing oil spills and minimizing the risk of marine pollution.
The exercise lasted 5 days from January 8-12.
The relationship between ICGS and JCGS stems from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoC) signed in 2006 on training cooperation, professional exchange and cultural interaction between the coast guards of both countries.
Japan and India are two countries in the Quad grouping (Quad) along with the US and Australia, also known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, an informal strategic forum maintained by semi-regular summits, information exchanges and military exercises in the Indo-Pacific.
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