Fourth edition of Coastal Defence Exercise Sea Vigil 2024 exercise concludes

CHENNAI: The Indian Navy, in collaboration with Central and State agencies, successfully conducted the fourth edition of Coastal Defence Exercise Sea Vigil 2024 at Headquarters, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on November 21 and 22.

This mock exercise was aimed at assessing and strengthening the coastal security mechanism, preventing and countering threats from the sea.

Towards this, various simulated attacks and Coastal Patrols were conducted to test the

preparedness and response of the security agencies, a defence release said here on

Saturday.

The key highlights of the exercise included Interception of Red Force Trawlers. In this exercise,

four Red Force personnel onboard a fishing trawler were apprehended by the Marine Police, Rameswaram. The trawler was intercepted in the Palk Bay region, five nautical miles off Olaikuda

sea shore. Thorough interrogation revealed their target was TV tower, Rameswaram.

A simulated attack on Muyal Island was conducted, where three terrorists from the Red Force attempted to infiltrate the Tamil Nadu coast using fishing boats. However, they were promptly apprehended by the alert Tamil Nadu Police personnel who were deployed off Gulf of Mannar.

The Indian Navy, in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Commando Force and the National Security Guard, successfully thwarted a simulated attack on the Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR) Kalpakkam.

A simulated attack was launched on IGCAR Kalpakkam by four armed intruders from the Red Force. The Tamil Nadu Commando Force swiftly responded to the alarm and successfully contained them, but not before the intruders took three hostages. The National Security Guard then took over and successfully rescued the hostages and neutralized the terrorists.

In another incident, Red Force divers attempted to mine high-value vessels anchored at the Chennai Harbour. However, due to the vigilance of the Tamil Nadu police, the attempted attack was foiled before the divers could reach their target.

A hijack attempt was made on MV Fairway. Armed intruders from the Red Force had taken control of the vessel, which was anchored 1.5 nautical miles off Chennai Port. The Crisis Management Group swiftly responded by deploying the Tamil Nadu Commando Force.

However, the situation escalated as the hijackers took the crew hostage and refused to negotiate.

To resolve the crisis, MARCOS (Marine Commandos) from Vizag were flown in and deployed. The MARCOS successfully neutralized the terrorists and rescued the hostages, bringing the situation under control.

A total of 11 surface units of the Indian Navy were deployed along with air assets for round the clock Vigil. The Indian Navy has also achieved many KRAs during the exercise.

The Subsidiary Joint Operations Center (SJOC) at HQTNP was fully activated and was manned

24?7 by personnel from seven Central and State agencies.

The SJOC served the purpose of establishing an effective and direct liaison with all the agencies

by having a representative of each agency involved in the exercise, so that reports are communicated immediately and critical actions taken with minimum time delay.

The efficacy of response mechanism by Tamil Nadu Forest Dept with assistance from all other agencies was evaluated while validating the newly formed SOPs for intrusion in uninhabited islands. The new SOPs include Indian Navy and ICG as a part of the escalation matrix.

These simulated exercises demonstrate the preparedness and coordination between various agencies in responding to potential threats.

The successful foiling of these attacks is a testament to the professionalism and expertise of the nation's defence mechanisms.

The exercise also demonstrated the importance of inter-agency cooperation, site-specific preparedness, and rapid response in reinforcing national security.