Navy, security agencies hold coastal defence drills off Visakhapatnam

Indian Navy Marine Commandos (MARCOS) conduct mock boarding operation on a merchant vessel during the tactical phase of Exercise Sea Vigil-26 in deep sea off Visakhapatnam on Friday.

The Indian Navy and other security agencies carried out a series of coastal security drills off Visakhapatnam on Friday as part of Exercise “Sea Vigil-26”, the fifth edition of the Pan-India coastal defence exercise.

The drills, witnessed from on board INS Tihayu, a fast attack craft of the Navy, included joint patrolling off the Visakhapatnam harbour by the Navy’s Sagar Prahari Bal, Customs and the Central Industrial Security Force. The Marine Police and the Sagar Prahari Bal jointly monitored access to the Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour, while an Immediate support vessel of the Navy investigated a fishing vessel treated as suspicious for the drill.

Marine Commandos (MARCOS) carried out a slithering operation from a helicopter and a boarding operation on a merchant vessel treated as suspicious for the drill. The Immediate support vessel and INS Tarmugli carried out coastal surveillance.

Indian Navy personnel conduct mock investigation of a suspicious fishing vessel off Visakhapatnam coast on Friday during the tactical phase of Exercise Sea Vigil-26, as part of coastal defence preparedness operations.

Briefing the media at the Joint Operations Centre in Visakhapatnam, the Navy said the area of operation for the Eastern Naval Command extended from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu, including Puducherry. It covered a coastline of 3,460 km, with seven major and 33 minor ports.

Surveillance was organised in three layers, it said. The State Marine Police were responsible from the coast up to five nautical miles, the Coast Guard up to 12 nautical miles, and the Navy beyond that.

The Coastal Defence and Security Readiness Evaluation phase was under way, the Navy said. Combined teams were visiting ports, fish landing centres, lighthouses and marine police stations to audit them for gaps that intruders could exploit. Multi-agency meetings and community interaction programmes were also being held along the coast to explain the exercise and the importance of security to residents.

At the Dolphin’s Nose lighthouse, Navy officials said that it was among the posts identified as “war-watching organisations”. National Cadet Corps cadets and Navy personnel were trained to identify aircraft and ships by sight, and to tell apart fishing boats of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Personnel positioned there would report what they observed during the exercise.

“Sea Vigil-26” is being held from November 11 to 19, with the Navy as the lead agency. The Coastal Defence and Security Readiness Evaluation (CDSRE) phase runs up to November 17 and will be followed by the Sea Phase on November 18 and 19.

Conceptualised in 2018 to validate measures put in place after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the exercise spans the entire coastline and the Exclusive Economic Zone, and involves all coastal States and Union Territories.