Maiden version of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Maritime Exercise held
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The premier discussion board 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 assertion on Wednesday mentioned, “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 plane and helicopters from the Navies of Bangladesh, France, India and Iran, mentioned 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 members validated the IONS HADR pointers and developed response mechanisms for offering HADR from sea to shore in addition to for rendering help to ships and crafts in misery at sea.
The Maritime Exercise noticed a big quantity and huge number of collaborating items which included Amphibious Assault Ship, Frigates, Fleet Support Ship, Destroyer, Landing Ship Tank & numerous aviation belongings – ship borne and shore based mostly helicopters and glued wing plane.
French Navy Chief Pierre Vandier and Indian Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar witnessed workouts through the sea part and likewise attended the submit train debrief.
Talking concerning the significance of the Exercise, the Indian Navy mentioned, “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 discussion board for cooperation and collaboration amongst 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.”
