India, RI begin joint naval patrols

India, RI begin joint naval patrols

Agencies, New Delhi/Jakarta

India and Indonesia have begun joint naval patrols off the
Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal to check poaching, smuggling
and drug trafficking, the defense ministry said here Wednesday.

The first of the joint patrols commenced Monday under an
agreement between the two navies signed in January last year, a
statement said.

"It will also serve the valuable purpose of enhancing mutual
understanding and co-operation between the navies of two
neighboring countries of the region," it said.

The patrol will be conducted by a warship and a patrol
aircraft from each navy, an Indian navy spokesman said.

The Indian navy will use a Trinkat class patrol vessel and
Dornier aircraft, while a Parchim-I class ship and a Nomad
aircraft will make up the Indonesian patrol, he said.

The patrol will be led by the commander-in-chief of India's
Tri-Service Command headquartered in the Andaman and Nicobar
islands and the commander of Western Fleet Command of the
Indonesian Navy, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Navy spokesman Commodore Sugeng Waluyo
called the arrangement a collaborative venture between the navies
of the two countries to survey the sea in the border areas,
especially around the Andaman and Rondo islands.

Sugeng said that the Indonesian Navy had sent officers from
its hydrography department to participate in the one-month joint
survey.

"Neither Indonesia nor India have never surveyed the waters
between these two islands ... The results of this project will be
used as a reference for safe navigation," Sugeng told The Jakarta
Post.

India is also providing an escort for ships passing through
the Indian Ocean and bound for Southeast Asia through the Malacca
Straits, between Malaysia and Indonesia.

According to Indian experts, the Malacca Straits is the second
busiest sea lane in the world and the huge amount of oil passing
through it from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia and Japan
makes it highly vulnerable to terrorist threats.

The escort service began in April after an agreement between
the Indian and U.S. navies, reached after several rounds of
consultations with Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and other
nearby countries, the spokesman said.

Under the agreement, the escort duties are divided between the
Indian and U.S. navies for a period of six months each.