Fish in our waters but don’t cross over, Coast Guard urges fishermen

Sivamani said, “We (ICG) have made tangible progress. There have been incidents in our immediate maritime domain to which our ships and aircraft have responded proactively and ensured all lives were saved. In the recent cyclone that formed in the Bay of Bengal, our ships, aircraft and coastal surveillance system were used in a meaningful manner to ensure there was no loss of lives at sea. ICG ensures, if any ship or boat is in distress, our ships and aircraft reach the site and ensure we provide succour to any fisherman or mariner in distress.”

Asked about the challenges faced by the ICG on the technological front, DG Sivamani said. “Around 16,000 ships transit through our maritime domain and 3,000 of them through our Exclusive Economic Zone. We have three maritime rescue coordination centres and 36 sub-centres that have a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) with which we can launch immediate rescue efforts. We have close coordination with our partners and more technology will be made available to us in the coming years.”

When asked about the suggestions made by other stakeholders and key takeaways of the board meeting, Sivamani said, “Some of the key suggestions made by stakeholders is to have more meaningful mechanisms in place which can further contribute to the effectiveness of the search and rescue system.”

Sivamani further added that the key takeaways from the board meeting were enhanced synergy and dialogue between stakeholders to respond to maritime incidents and to ensure minimal loss of life.

Asked about the several reported cases of narcotics being seized off the Gujarat coastline, he said, “We have responsibilities under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and have close coordination with ATS to ensure drugs don’t reach the country.”

According to a statement from the Defence PRO in Gujarat, the NMSAR was established by the Government of India in 2002 and the ex-officio chairman of the board is the Director General, Indian Coast Guard. The NMSAR board serves as a vital mechanism for fostering inter-agency synergy, policy formulation and capability enhancement across the entire Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR), one of the largest SAR regions in the world, covering approximately 4.6 million square kilometres of the Indian Ocean.

The Board is represented by senior officers of the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Directorate General of Shipping, Airports Authority of India, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), State Maritime Boards, Port Authorities and other Central and State Government departments, as well as representatives from the merchant marine, fishing and offshore sectors.

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