Darwin hosts joint ABF/Indian Coast Guard exercises
The Australian Border Force (ABF) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) are forging stronger ties through the visit to Darwin this week of the offshore patrol vessel ICG Ship (ICGS) Shaurya.
At 105 metres in length and with a crew of 110 officers and sailors, the ICGS Shaurya is one of the latest generation offshore patrol vessels built by India to significantly bolster its coast guard fleet in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The Shaurya’s visit this week represents a new level of collaboration between the two maritime law enforcement agencies. HMAS Bathurst will rendezvous with ICGS Shaurya and enter Darwin Harbour together tomorrow and will be officially welcomed by Maritime Border Command (MBC).
“Australia and India have some significant shared interests as Indian Ocean neighbors,” Commander MBC, Rear Admiral Lee Goddard said.
“ICGS Shaurya’s visit is an important event to strengthen cooperation and support our common goal to ensure safety and security across our maritime domain,” RADM Goddard said.
“We look forward to the successful exchange of expertise between officers on this occasion as well as future collaboration to reinforce our commitment to combating shared civil maritime security threats.”
This is a significant step up in the relationship between the ABF and ICG and provides an opportunity for Australia and India to build upon the foundation laid during previous reciprocal visits.
The focus of the ICGS Shaurya visit is for tactical level engagement, testing interagency cooperation and integration through a number of table top exercises.
