B'desh Coast Guard seeks support from India for operation of hovercrafts
Kolkata: The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) on Monday sought assistance from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) for training its force for the operation and maintenance of hovercrafts.
The BCG sought ICG’s help during the regional commanders-level meeting at ICG North East (NE) regional headquarters in New Town, Kolkata on Monday.
The BCG does not have any hovercraft, which is used for amphibious operation.
"The BCG delegation will visit ICG Hovercraft port on August 29. They will witness the hovercraft operation. They have intimated that they are planning to procure hovercrafts and requested assistance from the ICG for training about operation and maintenance their hovercrafts," ICG (NE) spokesperson Avinandan Mitra said.
The ICG has been providing training to BCG officers and sailors on various fields since 2014. Trainings are held twice a year for the BCG officers and sailors, Mitra added.
The BCG delegation, led by West Zonal commander Captain Mohammed Ali Chowdhury, met Inspector General Kuldip Singh Sheoran, ICG (NE) regional commander, and his staff. The regional commanders-level meeting will conclude on August 30.
Various common maritime issues – sensitisation of fishermen on cross border fishing, bilateral table top exercise, real time information sharing, capacity building of BCG through training and exercise – were discussed at a staff-level meeting.
"Both sides have expressed their desire to cooperate with each other in order to jointly tackle the maritime challenges across the mutually shared international maritime boundary line. The BCG delegation was given a balanced understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the ICG NE region in general and search and rescue of fishermen at sea in particular,” Mitra said.
"They were also provided an overview on the measures taken to provide maritime safety and security in the states of West Bengal and Odisha. The BCG delegation will visit Haldia where it will be briefed on the coastal surveillance network along the Indian coast of mainland and island territories,” he added.
