Visakhapatnam:The fifth edition of the pan-India Coastal Defence Exercise Sea Vigil-26 was conducted off the Visakhapatnam coast on Friday to assess preparedness against maritime security threats.
The exercise, coordinated by the Indian Navy as the lead agency, involved the Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Coastal Security Police, Customs and other maritime agencies. Fishing and coastal communities, which play a key role in the country’s coastal surveillance network, also participated.
The exercise is being conducted in two phases. The Coastal Defence and Security Readiness Evaluation (CDSRE) phase runs from November 11 to 17, followed by the sea phase on November 18 and 19.
Six activities were undertaken during the tactical phase on Friday. These included joint patrolling off Visakhapatnam Harbour by the Navy’s Sagar Prahari Bal, Customs and the CISF; joint access monitoring at Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour by Coastal Security Police and Sagar Prahari Bal; and the investigation of a suspicious fishing vessel at sea by an Immediate Support Vessel of the Navy.
The other activities included a slithering operation by the Navy’s Marine Commandos (MARCOS), a boarding operation by Marine Commandos on a suspicious merchant vessel, and coastal surveillance by an Immediate Support Vessel and INS Tarmugli.
The activities provided an opportunity to assess the operational readiness of maritime security agencies, inter-agency coordination and the effectiveness of existing coastal security arrangements.
Conceptualised in 2018 in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Sea Vigil was instituted to strengthen maritime security.
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