Japan Coast Guard’s Echigo arrives in India for joint exercise

Japanese Coast Guard Patrol Ship Echigo, along with a crew of about 60 members was welcomed at the Indian Coast Guard Officers at the Chennai Port at a ceremony. Echigo is on a five-day goodwill visit to the city for Indo-Japan joint-exercise Sahyog-Kajin.

Sahyog-Kajin is an annual exercise that will be conducted off the Chennai Coast on January 16 and is aimed at further strengthening ties and mutual understanding between the two Coast Guards. The joint exercise will focus on search and rescue, pollution response and anti-piracy.

The annual exercise has been conducted every year since 2000 and this is its 19th such exercise that will be witnessed by Admiral Takahiro Okushima, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard and Director General Krishnaswamy Natarajan, Director General Indian Coast Guard. 

Commanding Officer of the Japanese Coast Guard Vessel Echigo said that Japanese Coast Guard Patrol Ship Echigo left from Japan on December 26 and entered Chennai Port on Monday. The 5-day stay of the Coast Guard will provide a good opportunity to deepen the relationship between the two countries”, said Harada Kiyoshi.

Four Indian Coast Guard ships, aircrafts and a vessel from the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) are participating in Sahyog-Kajin. Various activities such as official calls reciprocal visit onboard ships, sporting, cultural interactions and professional interactions between personnel of both the Coast Guards are planned up.