Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu-II for shipment of Liquid oxygen-filled cryogenic containers & associated medical equipment to India from other countries.For this Operation, Indian Navy deployed, 7 Indian Naval ships(INS) viz. INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Talwar, INS Tabar, INS Trikand, INS Jalashwa and INS Airavat.
i.It is part of the ongoing national mission for meeting Oxygen requirements in India. The demand for Oxygen has increased in India due to COVID-19.
ii.As part of the deal,
In the 1st Batch:
- INS Kolkata, INS Talwar was deployed in Persian Gulf, has entered the port of Manama, Bahrain for transporting 40 MT (Mega Tonnes) of Liquid Oxygen to Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- INS Jalashwa is enroute to Bangkok, Thailand & INS Airavat to Singapore for transporting Oxygen.
In the 2nd Batch:
- The second batch of ships comprising INS Kochi, INS Trikand and INS Tabar mission deployed in Arabian sea have also been diverted to join the national effort.
Operation Samudra Setu:
- It was launched in May 2020 as part of the Vande Bharat Mission.
- Under the Operation, Indian Citizens were repatriated from Maldives, Sri Lanka and Iran; they were left stranded due to COVID-19.
- The Operation was undertaken by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, Home Ministry, Health Ministry & other agencies of Central and State Governments.
Role of Indian Navy
So far, the Indian Navy played a crucial role during the Pandemic,
- In 2020, INHS Patanjali became the 1st Armed Forces hospital to treat civilian COVID-19 Patients.
- Indian Navy ships under Headquarters, Southern Naval Command at Kochi, Kerala provided support to the administration of Lakshadweep to fight against COVID-29 under the mission ‘Oxygen Express’.
Recent Related News:
i.In July 2020, Indian Navy successfully completed 55 days and 23,000 kilometers long ‘Operation Samudra Setu’. Under this operation 3,992 Indian citizens were brought back to India, which was conducted by Indian Naval Ships (INS) Jalashwa, and Airavat, Shardul and Magar.
About Indian Navy
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) – New Delhi
