Maiden India-Vietnam naval exercise held in Bay of Bengal

Chennai, Oct 4 (IANS) The maiden joint exercise of Coast Guards of India and Vietnam was held on Thursday in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast, a Defence Ministry statement said.

Three Indian Coast Guard ships, a Dornier aircraft and a Chetak helicopter participated in the exercise named "Sahyog HOP TAC -2018", apart from Sagar Manjusa vessel of National Institute of Ocean Technology.

The exercise focused on acquainting the two Coast Guards with each other's capabilities and strengthening their working relations to rescue humans at sea and further refine their joint operational procedures.

The exercise encompassed a scenario of hijacking of an oil tanker and subsequent rescue of its crew in a coordinated anti-piracy joint operation as well as preventive efforts for marine environment protection.

Interdiction of pirated vessels, coordinated joint boarding operation and external fire-fighting to salvage burning ships were the other highlights of the joint exercise.

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