NAVY INTENSIFIES SAMUDRA SETU OPERATION, DEPLOYS 9 WARSHIPS TO TRANSPORT OXYGEN FROM ABROAD

The Ministry of Defence on Wednesday informed that the Indian Navy has deployed nine warships as part of its Covid relief ‘Operation Samudra Setu II’ to transport oxygen and other medical equipment from abroad.

According to the statement issued by the ministry, ships from all three Naval Commands in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Kochi have been deployed for the shipment of liquid medical oxygen and associated medical equipment from friendly foreign countries in the Persian Gulf and southeast Asia.

“Indian Naval Ship Talwar entered the port of New Mangalore in Karnataka on Wednesday, ferrying two 27 tons liquid oxygen tanks from Bahrain while INS Kolkata, deployed in the Persian Gulf, also departed Kuwait on May 5 after embarking two 27 ton oxygen tanks, 400 Oxygen cylinders and 47 concentrators,” the Ministry of Defence said.

“In addition, four warships are also en route to Qatar and Kuwait, to embark around nine 27-ton Oxygen tanks and more than 1500 oxygen cylinders from these countries,” it said.

On the Eastern Seaboard, Indian Naval Ship Airavat departed Singapore on Wednesday with more than 3600 oxygen cylinders, eight 27 ton (216 tons) oxygen tanks, 10000 Rapid Antigen Detection Test Kits and seven concentrators.

“INS Shardul, the Landing Ship Tank of the Southern Naval Command at Kochi, is also on its way to the Persian Gulf to bring three liquid Oxygen filled cryogenic containers. It may be recalled that INS Jalashwa and INS Shardul, had also participated in Operation Samudra Setu last year to repatriate stranded Indian citizens from abroad,” the statement said.

The deployment of nine warships as part of ‘Operation Samudra Setu II’ forms a part of the multiple lines of effort, by the Indian government and the Indian Navy to supplement the oxygen requirement in the country.

(With ANI inputs)