India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives hold virtual exercise to streamline response mechanisms

By Asiri Fernando

Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India yesterday (15) concluded a two-day virtual trilateral tabletop exercise (TTX 2021) aimed at improving responses to a range of threats and possible emergencies in the maritime domain.

The exercise follows the joint response by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Sri Lankan authorities to the MV X-Press Pearl container vessel disaster. The ICG’s assistance for firefighting and pollution containment during the incident was sought through a 2018 Memorandum of Understanding between the coast guards of both countries. 

According to the Indian High Commission, TTX 2021 was coordinated by the Indian Navy’s Maritime Warfare Centre in Mumbai. CSO of the Indian Navy Western Naval Command Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh, Sri Lanka Navy Director General Operations Rear Admiral P.S. Mahawithana and Colonel Hilmy from the Maldives National Defence Force were among the high-ranking officials who took part in the exercise.

“TTX-2021 is aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and exchange of best practices – procedures for countering common transnational maritime crime, like curbing the narcotics trade, and assistance in Maritime search and rescue in the region,” the Indian High Commission said, pointing out that in the event of situations such as the MV X-Press Pearl incident, exercises such as TTX 2021 help to build seamless cooperation between the participants, as well as evolve common standard operational procedure.

Last year India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives agreed to focus on ways of enhancing maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region at the fourth National Security Adviser-level trilateral meeting held in Colombo. Subsequently, the Trilateral Secretariat on Maritime Security Cooperation was established at Sri Lanka Navy Headquarters in March this year.