Preparations for the two-day 'Sea Vigil-2024' of the Navy are complete, beginning today

The Indian Navy has completed preparations for the fourth edition of 'Sea Vigil-2024' which is a two-day event that will start today. The Indian Navy will test its coastal security capabilities on November 20 and 21 by holding a nationwide coastal defence exercise around the nation. The Officer-in-Charge of the Navy in Bengal (NOIC) will oversee the drill, which is being held nationwide, on the coasts of Bengal and Kolkata, according to navy authorities.

Commodore Ajay Yadav, Officer-in-Charge of the Navy in Bengal said this while interacting with reporters at the Navy's main base INS Netaji Subhash in Kolkata. He said the entire exercise will be conducted from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) at Naval Station Kolkata wherein representatives of all stakeholders would function together for better coordination and synergy.

He said the exercise would be conducted by the Indian Navy with the participation and support of 16 central and state agencies including the Coast Guard, Bengal Police, State Fisheries Department, Shipping, Ports, and Waterways Department, Army and Air Force, CISF, BSF, Customs, Intelligence Bureau. For the first time, NCC is participating in this exercise.

Yadav informed that this biennial exercise, which started in 2019 after the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, aims to test the effectiveness of coastal defense response on the Indian coastline against threats emanating from the sea. The exercise will focus on strengthening the security of critical coastal infrastructure including coastal assets such as ports, oil rigs, cable landing points, and protection of coastal population.

He further said that several ships and aircraft of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, along with other agencies, were participating in the exercise. In the run-up to the exercise, a series of coordination meetings, including the Preliminary and Main Planning Conference, were conducted by NOIC, Bengal, in which various agencies and stakeholders participated to increase synergy and overall coastal security. Students of NCC and Bharat Scouts and Guides were given comprehensive exposure to naval assets in Bengal.

The exercise is a great opportunity to assess the present preparedness of all maritime security agencies, their strong and weak points, and improve the overall maritime defense structure of the country, said Yadav.