YEAR-END REVIEW – 2010

Indian Coast Guard

Highlights

            The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is arguably the one Force that has seen the maximum expansion in capacity and capabilities. This year the government gave its nod to set up 14 new Coast Guard stations, five of them were commissioned during the year besides a Divisional Headquarter at Kavaratti in the Lakshadweep archipelago. The Coast Guard inducted seven vessels including an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) and a Pollution Control Vessel (PCV). The ICG also signed contract for acquisition of 12 Dornier Surveillance Aircraft on 30^th March, four each to be delivered by the Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited every year beginning 2012. The Coast Guard also took delivery of six of the 17 Elta Radars under various stages of procurement. The installation of the first two Elta radar systems on the Dornier was completed this year, with the flight acceptance trials due to be undertaken next month.

New Coast Guard Stations

            The Government approved setting up of 14 new Indian Coast Guard Stations (ICGS), - Pipavav and Mundra in Gujarat, Ratnagiri and Dahanu in Maharashtra, Minicoy and Androth in the Lakshadweep Islands, Karaikal (Tamil Nadu), Nizampatnam and Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Gopalpur (Orissa), Kamorta and Mayabunder (A&N Islands) and Kolkata and Frazerganj (West Bengal). As many as 28 ICGS already exist across the country’s vast coastline. Two Coast Guard Air Stations have also been approved. The ICGS Hutbay in Andamans was commissioned on 28^th January, ICGS Murud Janjira in Maharashtra on 30^th September, Veraval in Gujarat on 2^nd October and the Defence Minister Shri Antony commissioned ICGS Minicoy and inaugurated DHQ-12 at Kavaratti in Lakshadweep Islands on 24^th December.

Acquisitions

            The state-of-the-art new generation OPV, ICGS Vishwast was commissioned by Shri Antony at the Defence undertaking Goa Shipyard Limited on 17^th March. ICGS Samudra Prahari, the first PCV of its kind in Southeast Asia, was commissioned in Mumbai on 9^th October. Built by ABG Shipyard Limited, Surat, it carries the most advanced and sophisticated pollution response equipments to fight Oil Spills. The 95-meter-long ship can also embark a helicopter.

            The ICG also acquired four of the 11 Interceptor Boats, C-146, C-147, C-148 and C-149, this year and inducted IC-117, based at Murud Janjira. Built by ABG Shipyard, Surat, this class of boats can attain speed of 45 knots and have an endurance of 500 nm.

Operations

            In Coastal Surveillance patrolling during the year the Coast Guard apprehended 99 boats and 649 illegal fishermen for violating Indian territorial waters, as on 15^th December. This includes 60 Myanmar poachers detained off the Andamans in less than a week, between 18^th and 22^nd September. On 26^th December a ship carrying 16 Pakistanis and three Iraqi nationals was detained off the coast of Lakshadweep. The ICG also conducted the repatriation of 10 boats and 37 crew to Sri Lanka and 87 boats and 455 crew vice versa.

            During the year the Coast Guard conducted 23 Coastal Security Exercises, 12 Coastal Security Operations, three anti-piracy operations, three Pollution Response Exercises and saved over 250 lives in 353 Search and Rescue (SAR) Missions and 252 SAR Air Sorties it undertook.

Joint Exercises and Other Naval Operations

            ICGS Varuna visited Myanmar and Thailand, along with Indian Navy’s INS Tir, Krishana in February. The Varuna sailed again in October-November to Sri Lanka, Maldives and Seychelles for Training Squadron Deployment Exercise. Earlier the ICGS Samar visited Maldives and handed over an onboard ALH Dhruv to the Maldives National Defence Force on 21^st April. In addition the newly inducted ICGS Vishwast participated in the 10^th Joint Exercises of the Coast Guards of India and Japan off Kobe and made port of calls in the Philippines and South Korea on the way.

A four member ICG expert team led by Inspector General VSR Murthy visited Sri Lanka from November 9-15 for interaction with the Sri Lankan CG and discussed the development of a blue print for its expansion.

Indian Coast Guard ships provided Search and Rescue (SAR) cover to ‘Jewel of Muscat’, a traditional construction sailing vessel from Oman, on its voyage from Muscat to Singapore when it made the first port call at Kochi on 14^th March. Underwater inspections were carried out before it sailed further on 10^th April and the vessel was provided SAR coverage by the ICG throughout its stay in Indian territorial waters.

PK/Raman