NEW DELHI: The premier forum Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) helds its maiden Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) at Goa and in Arabian Sea from 26 – 30 Mar 22 which witnessed participation of 16 out of the 25 member nations of IONS which included Iran.
The Indian Navy in its statement on Wednesday said, “IMEX 22 aimed to develop the IONS capability to efficiently and effectively coordinate amongst member nations the ability to address a HADR contingency, coordinate the operations, build upon the individual strengths & develop interoperability in critical areas such as Search & Rescue operations, cross deck operations of helicopters, medical support, diving expertise and seamless communications.”
The participation included warships, Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters from the Navies of Bangladesh, France, India and Iran, said Indian Navy.
“22 Observers from 15 IONS member navies, namely Australia, Bangladesh, France, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE and UK also participated in the exercise.” The Navy added.
“IMEX – 22 was conducted in two phases with Harbour Phase at Mormugao Port, Goa from 26 to 27 March 22 followed by a Sea Phase in the Arabian Sea from 28 to 30 March 22.”
The participants validated the IONS HADR guidelines and developed response mechanisms for providing HADR from sea to shore as well as for rendering assistance to ships and crafts in distress at sea.
The Maritime Exercise saw a significant number and wide variety of participating units which included Amphibious Assault Ship, Frigates, Fleet Support Ship, Destroyer, Landing Ship Tank & various aviation assets - ship borne and shore based helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.
French Navy Chief Pierre Vandier and Indian Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar witnessed exercises during the sea phase and also attended the post exercise debrief.
Talking about the significance of the Exercise, the Indian Navy said, “The exercise is seen as a significant stepping stone for regional navies to collaborate and respond collectively to natural disasters in the region and paves way for further strengthening regional cooperation”.
The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), established in 2007, is a premier forum for cooperation and collaboration among navies of littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. “The forum has enabled discussions on regional maritime issues, promoted friendly relationships, and significantly improved maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.”