CHENNAI: The 20th joint exercise between the Coast Guard of India and Japan took place off the coast of Chennai on Friday. Indian Coast Guard ships Shaunak, Shaurya, Sujay, Samudra Paheredar, Rani Abbakka, Annie Besant, C-440, Sagar Anveshika and Matsya Drushti and six aircraft, and Japanese Coast Guard ship Yashima participated in the exercise.
A release said the presence of Yashima in our country is a result of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between India and Japan in 2006. The MoC aims to facilitate interaction between the two Coast Guard, fostering high-level visits, annual joint exercises, and participation in short-term workshops.
The exercise aims to strengthen ties and mutual understanding between the maritime security agencies of India and Japan. It focuses on enhancing inter-operability in communication, reinforcing standard operating procedures and sharing best practices. The exercise also aims to strengthen bilateral ties, enabling both Coast Guard to collaborate in protecting shared interests, search and rescue missions or marine environment protection.
Donny Michael, inspector general, Headquarters, Coast Guard Region (East), spoke to reporters on the positive impact of the exercise noting that the ICG had previously learned new techniques from JCG and now reciprocal learning is strengthening cordial relationship.
Michael highlighted the ICG’s experience in clearing oil spills at Ennore Creek, mentioning their collaboration with the pollution control board and the state government. He pointed at challenges in dealing with oil spill on the sea in India, where there are limited private players compared to foreign countries, making it sometimes time-consuming to address such incidents.