Sri Lanka, India and Maldives Coast Guards conduct joint exercise

The Coast Guards of India, Sri Lanka and Maldives participated in a joint exercise named ‘Dosti XI’ in Maldives from 23 to 27 April 2012.

The exercise was successfully conducted off Male with the three Coast Guards working together to hone their skills. Exercise ‘Dosti’ (friendship) till now was a biannual exercise started in 1991 with the objective of strengthening cooperation between the Coast Guards of India and Maldives. The exercise in its 20th year achieved a new milestone with the inclusion of the Sri Lankan Coast Guard.

A total of six ships and one aircraft participated in ‘Dosti XI’. The Indian Coast Guard was represented by Indian Coast Guard Ships Sankalp and Subhadra Kumar Chauhan and a Dornier Aircraft. The Maldivian Coast Guard was represented by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Coast Guard Ships Huravee, Ghazee and Shaheed Ali. The Sri Lankan side was represented by Sri Lankan Naval Ship Sagara with 35 Sri Lankan Coast Guard personnel embarked.

Director General of the Indian Coast Guard Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan and Director General of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard Rear Admiral Ruwan Dias visited Maldives to witness the exercise.

The exercise was held off Male and was focused on maritime search and rescue, marine pollution control, medical evacuation, anti-piracy and boarding operations. The exercise at sea was witnessed by Maldives Minister of Defence and National Security Mohamed Nazim, Maldives Chief of Defence Force Maj. Gen. Ahmed Shiyam and representatives of various Ministries of Maldives as well as Directors General of the Coast Guards of India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

The successful completion of the exercise marked a new stage in cooperation between the three countries. With the menace of piracy shifting eastwards, it is important for the Coast Guards of the three friendly countries to work together to ensure the safety of shipping in this region. The exercise further strengthened the bonds of friendship and enhanced interoperability between the Coast Guards of the three countries.