INTEGRATED HEADQUARTERS OF MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (NAVY)

 

RELIEF ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY INDIAN NAVY

UPDATE - 01 JAN 05

At 0800 h today, 01 Jan 05, the forces committed by the Indian Navy for relief operations are 32 ships, 21 helicopters, 8 Dornier/Islander aircraft and more than 5500 personnel. In addition, many hundreds of naval personnel from bases such as INS Rajali, INS Dega, INS Circars, INS Kattabomman, NAS Ramnad, etc. have been associated with relief / medical assistance in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.  

Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Op SEA WAVES)

• INS Jyoti (Tanker) is deployed in the A & N Islands for providing essential stores and fuel for the IN ships deployed for relief operations to enhance their endurance.  INS Brahmaputra with two Chetak helicopters and relief supplies embarked onboard will be deployed in A&N Islands after picking up relief supplies from Chennai. INS Sharabh will provide 140 tons of relief material for A&N Administration. IN Ships Sandhayak and Sukanya will embark relief stores at Chennai prior to their redeployment to the Southern Group of A&N Islands. INS Darshak (Survey Ship) is also being embarked with relief stores for Port Blair. 

Little Andaman

• INS Trinkat, a Fast Attack Craft, with relief supplies and police personnel embarked onboard proceeded to Hut Bay.LCU 39 with 87 CISF personnel, three civilian administration personnel and provisions  embarked onboard sailed for Hut Bay and Car Nicobar. 750 kgs of food was landed on the Little Andaman Island by Chetak helicopter in two sorties. The helicopter evacuated 10 personnel on their return legs.

Kamorta Group

• Chowra.  A Seaking helicopter ex-Magar established contact with Chowra Island on 30 Dec 04.  About 500 kgs of food packets / provisions were supplied by the helicopter.
• Katchall.  INS Rajput landed approximately 3.5 tons of relief supplies on the island.  The ship has also operationalised INMARSAT Mini ‘M’ terminal at Katchall helipad.  One policman with HF Communication set was also helicopter- lifted from Kamorta to Katchall. 
• Kamorta.   INS Rajput handed over INMARSAT Mini ‘M’ terminal to the BSNL representative at Kardip.  The ship also disembarked 17 tons of provisions to LCU 34 for distribution in Nancowry group of islands. 
• Nancowry.           IN Ships LCU 34, Tillangchang, Rajput (with Chetak helicopter) and Magar (with Sea King helicopter) continued with the relief operations like disembarkation food, provisions, water, medicines, etc, in the island.
• INS Rajput also launched a helicopter for recce of Trinkat, Menchal and Pulo Millow Islands. Doctors from Kolkata were disembarked in Kamorta and Katchall by the ship’s helicopter. In addition, 30 police personnel were also landed at Katchall.
• IN Ships LCU 34 and Tillanchang continued to be deployed at Kamorta for relief operations.  LCU 34 evacuated 16 personnel  ex-Kapanga village of Katchall and rendered first aid to the injured. 03 women and 05 children were transferred to a hospital in Kamorta. INS Tillanchang also transported relief supplies to Chowra from the civil ship MV Long Island. 
• INS Gharial with relief supplies embarked is scheduled to sail for Campbell Bay and Kamorta.    

East Coast (Op MADAD)

Andhra Pradesh Coast  The sunken boat in the entrance channel of Visakhapatnam harbour has been cleared with diving support from the Indian Naval Diving Team.    

Tamil Nadu Coast The diving operations by IN Diving Team to clear obstructions in Chennai port are continuing. 

• Nagapattinam.   IN Ships Ranjit and Khanjar continued to operate relief camps at Nagapattinam.  The Medical Camp at Velankanni Church 19 Km South of Nagapattinam is continuing.  Some more additional Medical Camps are being set up by the Navy in the area.
• Kanyakumari.  INS Kattabomman (Naval Base) continued to operate relief camps in Kottilpadu and Kollachel villages of Kanyakumari district. 

West Coast (Kerala)

• Shertallai, Alleppey.  One medical team continues to be deployed at Taluka Hospital Shertallai, (Alleppey) for relief operations. The team has treated approximately 2300 people since 27 Dec 04.  

• Galle. INS Sutlej (Survey ship) and Sharda are continuing relief assistance and survey of harbour at Galle.  The survey of inner harbour including scanning of inner entrance channel by side scan sonar and 60% of sounding of entrance channel has been completed. An Indian Naval diving team of 10 divers in four Inflatable Craft continued with their efforts to clear Galle harbour.  The team has detected two mechanised fishing trawlers and three FRP boats sunk adjacent to the jetty.  One of the FRP boats was salvaged by the IN team; however, crane assistance would be required for the salvage of trawlers. The harbour authorities are attempting to make operational a crane to undertake the salvage work. About 25 Indian Navy personnel undertook debris clearance on approach roads to Galle harbour.  Some electrical equipment of fisheries harbour corporation was relocated to sheltered locations.
• Medical Teams.  The medical teams from the IN ships attended to a total of 237 patients as follows on 31 Dec 04 at the following locations:-
  • Galle             -        110
  • Koggala        -          67
  • Makkuluja     -          60
  One medical team airlifted from Kochi continues to be  employed with Sri Lankan Army Military Engineering Regiment in Embilipitiya near Hambantota and are attending to casualties since PM 26 Dec 04. IN Ships Jamuna (Hospital Ship) and Sarvekshak (Survey ship) with relief supplies, medical teams and Army composite teams embarked onboard has sailed for Galle. The composite team comprises 81 Army personnel from Engineers, Signals and Medical corps. 
• Aircraft Detachment.  An aircraft detachment comprising one Dornier and one Islander aircraft has been deployed to Ratmalana Airbase near Colombo on a request from Sri Lankan authorities. The aircraft have been employed for ferrying of relief supplies to Palaly airbase in North Sri Lanka from Colombo. The Islander was launched to Koggala with 350 kgs relief material and two SLAF personnel. 03 SLAF personnel were ferried on the return trip. The Dornier was launched with one SLAF officer and 900 kgs load comprising of tents, potable water and food. The aircraft under took coastal recce till Hambantota and disembarked the load. Two SLAF personnel were embarked on return passage.
• Trincomalee. IN Ship LCU 33 disembarked 11.5 Tons of relief supplies at Trincomalee. INS Kirch (Corvette) has handed over following relief supplies to the representatives of SL Govt and SL Navy:-
  • 50 portable Gensets
• 950 mtrs of Cable for Gensets
• 21300 ltrs of packaged drinking water
• 4000 ltrs of Kerosene
• 1000 Nos Bedsheets
• 475 Nos Rugs

One team of 03 officers and 25 sailors was deployed at SL Naval Base at Nilaveli and a medical team of 03 Medical Officers and 10 Medical assistants was deployed at Kiniya Government Hospital for relief ops. INS Ghorpad (Landing Ship Tank) loaded with medical and relief supplies embarked onboard arrived at Trincomalee.  

• INS Udaygiri embarked 08 tons of relief supplies ex-Male and proceeded to Vilingilli Island on Kolumadolu Atoll and Huvadoo Atoll. Extensive damage was observed on Villingilli Island during aerial recce with 15 reported casualties.
• Kolhuvaaryaafushi island. The IN team has successfully repaired two 50 KW generators on the island and has ensured availability of power supply to 70% of the island including the school, mosque and Community Centres. The Primary Health Centre has been reorganised on the island and ten days of medical supplies have been replenished at the centre. The calculations were undertaken for Chlorine dosage of four rain harvested storage system water tanks and ten days of chlorine dosage was handed over.  The nearby island of Mulah Kandu was also supplied with adequate medical stores. Two community kitchens and four toilets have been operationalised. The ship’s Medical Officer undertook the sanitary rounds of the island and measures were initiated to prevent outbreak of epidemic.
• Vilufushi Island.  INS Mysore supplied 12 V battery to power up intra-island communication set on Vilufushi Island.  The ship had also landed electrical repair team on the island for repair of generators.
• Madufushi Island. INS Mysore landed a medical team of two Medical Officers and two Medical Assistants on the island for setting up of a Medical Camp along with medical stores and packaged water. First aid was provided to about 110 personnel and three emergency cases were treated successfully. No other medical infrastructure is available on the island. In addition, the island was fully electrified by the IN team. No communication facility existed on this island and a portable communication set was set up by INS Mysore.
• Guraidhookandu Island.  Emergency food comprising of 900 kgs of rice and 250 kgs of sugar and medical aid has been rushed to Guraidhookandu Island.

• INS Nirupak with relief supplies and medical stores embarked is on passage to Indonesia.  Meanwhile, INS Khukri with the balance items embarked onboard, also departed Chennai for Indonesia.