India and ASEAN countries did joint drills in South China Sea

Indian Navy warships INS Satpura and INS Delhi will participate in the weeklong programme, which will include a two-day sea phase in the South China Sea. The harbour phase of the exercise will be held at Changi Naval Base, Singapore.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

After the first Asean-India naval exercise in the contentious South China Sea, India has now conducted a bilateral maritime coordinated patrol (Corpat) with Thailand in the Andaman Sea. It saw the two navies deploying warships and maritime patrol aircraft along the international maritime boundary line in the Andaman Sea from May 3 to 10.

“Towards reinforcing bilateral maritime linkages and with an aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean safe, the Indian and Royal Thai navies have been undertaking this patrol bi-annually since 2005 ” an officer said. The Corpat builds understanding and military interoperability, and facilitates instituting measures to prevent unlawful activities like illegal fishing and drug trafficking. “It also helps boost operational synergy by exchanging information for the prevention of smuggling, illegal immigration and for search and rescue operations”… the officer added.

The Navy has been “proactively engaging” with countries in the Indian Ocean region to enhance security as part of the government’s vision of SAGAR (security and growth for all in the region).

The Coast Guard Region 2 Command of Vietnam and SETTSU patrol vessel of the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) participated in a joint drill on search and rescue and fire prevention and control on February 18, concluding the friendship exchange between the two forces.

During the drill, officers and sailors on board JCG’s SETTSU patrol vessel and the Coast Guard Region 2 Command’s ships CSB 4037 and CSB 6001 exchanged experience and practiced search and rescue, fire prevention and control scenarios.

The SETTSU with the capacity of 3,304 tons and 52 crew-members is in service in Tokyo Region Command and tasked to combat maritime piracy and armed robbery. The vessel, which is captained by Colonel Satoshi Niwa, is 105.4m long, 14.6m wide, and 29m tall. It can reach a maximum speed of 18 nautical miles per hour.

It is expected that JCG and the Vietnamese coast guard force will foster their cooperation in search and rescue and law enforcement at sea in a more effective and practical manner, contributing to strengthening security, safety, and freedom of navigation for peace, stability, and development of the two countries, the region, and the world.