VISAKHAPATNAM: The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) will continue its tradition of hosting an operational demonstration along the Visakhapatnam coast, with a special event scheduled for January 4, 2025, at RK Beach. Although the Navy Day celebrations this year have been moved to Golden Beach in Puri, Odisha, Visakhapatnam will witness its annual operational demonstration a month later.
Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, ENC, announced on Monday, "This is not to say that the people of Vizag will miss out on this annual activity. We will be conducting an additional operational demonstration off RK Beach on January 4, 2025." He further added that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has consented to be the chief guest for the event.
He stated that ENC units rescued over 270 stranded individuals and air-dropped more than three tonnes of relief material during the September floods in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
"In Tamil Nadu, the Navy provided critical aid during Cyclone Michaung in December 2023. Additionally, INS Bitra carried out search and rescue operations in Palk Bay following a sea collision involving an Indian fishing boat, while ENC teams located a missing Cessna aircraft over Chandil Dam in Jamshedpur in August 2024," he noted. He also highlighted various operations and humanitarian missions conducted by ENC in Kenya and Somalia.
Pendharkar noted the commissioning of INS Sandhayak, the first ship in the Survey Vessel (Large) Project, on February 3, 2024, at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. He added that 'Nirdeshak,' the second ship in this project, was delivered in October 2024 and is scheduled to be commissioned on December 18, 2024.
He also revealed plans for commissioning the first ships of the Nilgiri-class frigates, starting with Nilgiri, the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, beginning with Arnala, and the Diving Support Vessel class, starting with Nistar, in the coming months. "We will be inducting additional High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which will significantly improve our surveillance capabilities. The recently inducted MH-60R helicopters, which have boosted our anti-submarine warfare capabilities, will soon begin operations from Visakhapatnam," he stated.
He further highlighted the progress in unmanned and autonomous platforms, mentioning the operation of rotary UAVs from ships and the development of autonomous surface vessels like 'Matangi,' which recently completed a sea transit from Mumbai to Tuticorin.
Pendharkar revealed that projects worth over Rs 1,200 crore are in progress, including efforts to augment berthing space at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.
He described the foundation-laying of the VLF Station at Vikarabad as "a significant milestone that will bolster our long-distance naval communication capabilities."