The Indian Navy started escorting merchant vessels through Mumbai’s navigational channel on Thursday in order to ensure that ships safely leave the harbour without any mishaps.
“The Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command has undertaken ‘Operation Pathfinder’ to safely escort merchant vessels in and out of the Mumbai harbour,” said Captain Manohar Nambiar, chief public relation officer, defence, Mumbai.
The Indian Navy is guiding the merchant ships by forming a convoy of these merchant ships. This convoy is being escorted by a helicopter, which provides an aerial coverage of the channel. Apart from this, a minesweeper ship along with two survey boats with their side scan sonar are ensuring that the navigational channel is clear for the convoy to make headway. A fast-attack craft, INS Matanga, follows this convoy.
Four naval ships, two Chetak helicopters and three specialised survey boats are being pressed into service for this operation.
On Thursday, seven merchant ships were escorted out of the Mumbai harbour and other five were brought into the harbour.
The seven merchant vessels that were escorted outside the Mumbai harbour were Zembra and Annapurna Express (from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust), Yassa Pembe, BBL Spain, HAL Pendant, Calmy Coral and Nand Hazira (from the Mumbai Port Trust). The vessels escorted into the harbour include Conti Asia and Taban 1 (towards the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust), Fushimi, BBL Austria, DD Vigilant and Golden Fareast.