India and China walked the talk on agreed agenda in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) grouping on managing disasters and cooperating on Search and Rescue (SAR) missions when the hunt for a shipwreck brought the navies of the two countries together on Wednesday and Thursday in the Indian Ocean region.
Besides displaying India’s sincere obligations as a credible and responsible partner for ensuring safety at sea, the effort also underlines the expanding footprint of the Indian Navy.
Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal told THE WEEK: “Acting on request by the People’s Liberation Army - Navy (PLAN), Indian Navy’s P8I aircraft on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning carried out two sorties in multiple and extensive searches despite adverse weather and located multiple objects possibly belonging to the sunken vessel—a Chinese deep-sea fishing vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028.”
“The Indian Navy deployed its Air Maritime Reconnaissance assets in the Southern Indian Ocean Region in an area approximately 900 nautical miles or about 1,600-1,700 km from the south Indian coast… The Indian Navy deployed its SAR equipment as the PLAN ships were closing on to the area.”
“The Indian Navy units also coordinated SAR efforts with other units in the area and guided the PLAN warships transiting to the scene of the incident,” the spokesperson added.
Australia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines were among the other countries that are collaborating on the SAR effort.
According to Chinese state-owned media, the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 had capsized at about 3 AM on Tuesday in the central Indian Ocean about 5,000 km west of Perth, Australia, with 39 crew members on board including 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians, and five Filipinos.
The Indian Navy continues to remain deployed in the area to provide all possible assistance to the ongoing SAR efforts.
In another exhibition of its commitment towards ensuring Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) , under Operation Karuna, three Indian Navy ships—the Shivalik, Kamorta, and Savitri—were the first naval ships to reach Yangon port with relief material for those affected by cyclone Mocha.
Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar tweeted: “The ships are carrying emergency food items, tents, essential medicines, water pumps, portable generators, clothes, sanitary and hygiene items, etc… India continues to be the first responder in the region.”
A fourth Indian Navy ship is also expected to reach soon.
