KOCHI: Three ships, two fast-patrol vessels, two high-speed interceptor boats, Dornier aircraft, Chetak and Advanced Light Helicopters. The might and operational prowess of the Indian Coast Guard were on full display just off the Kochi coast on Tuesday.
It was an unforgettable day for a team of NCC cadets, homemakers and a handful of dignitaries who got a front-row seat to the spectacle. The Indian Coast Guard Kerala headquarters had hosted the team aboard their off-shore patrol vessel as part of its 47th Raising Day.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the chief guest, witnessed the operational capabilities of the Coast Guard from aboard the ship OCGS Samarth.
The operation
As the ships sailed into the deep sea, a pirate boat was located at some distance, and two interceptor boats rushed forward to encircle it. They were ably supported from the air by a Chetak helicopter. Coast Guard commandos, who approached the suspicious vessel in small boats, boarded it and fired smokes to indicate that the vessel was under their control.
AB Urja Pravaha, an auxiliary barge, was used as a pirate vessel to demonstrate the anti-piracy operation.
Later, a Dornier aircraft and an Advanced Light Helicopter displayed how it would go about a search and rescue operation.
A diver was dropped along with sufficient flares and smoke in the sea. The helicopter teams were tasked to spot the diver and haul him up. Another mock operation saw a Chetak helicopter deployed to replenish supplies.
Coast Guard Commander for Kerala and Mahe DIG N Ravi briefed the Governor about each operation. The latter also interacted with other officers, praising the Men in White for their relentless service to the nation.
Coast Guard ships Samarth, Sarang, and Samar; Fast-patrol vessels Anagh and Abhinav; interceptor boats C162 and C410; auxiliary barge AB Urja Pravaha; two Dornier winged aircraft; two Advanced Light Helicopters and two Chetak helicopters participated in the operation.
The role of the Coast Guard has grown in manifold ways over the years with the increased smuggling of drugs by sea. The Coast Guard, in association with the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, seized heroin worth Rs 4,000 crores last year.