Visakhapatnam: Indian Navy steps up Covid relief operations

Visakhapatnam: The Indian Navy has stepped up its Covid relief operation Samudra SetuII with ships from all three Naval Commands in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Kochi, deployed for shipment of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) and associated medical equipment from friendly foreign countries in Persian Gulf and South-east Asia.

On the Western seaboard, Indian Naval Ship Talwar entered the port of New Mangalore in Karnataka, ferrying two 27 tonnes of liquid oxygen tanks from Bahrain.

INS Kolkata, deployed in Persian Gulf, also departed Kuwait with two 27 tonnes of oxygen tanks, 400 oxygen cylinders and 47 concentrators. In addition, four warships are also en route to Qatar and Kuwait, to bring around nine 27-tonne oxygen tanks and more than 1,500 oxygen cylinders from these countries.

On the Eastern seaboard, INS Airavat, departed Singapore with more than 3,600 oxygen cylinders, eight 27 tonne oxygen tanks, 10,000 rapid antigen detection test kits and seven concentrators while INS Jalashwa remains deployed in the region, standing by to carry medical stocks at short notice.

INS Shardul, the Landing Ship Tank of the Southern Naval Command at Kochi, is also on its way to Persian Gulf to bring three liquid oxygen-filled cryogenic containers.

The deployment of nine warships as part of 'Operation Samudra Setu II' forms a part of the multiple lines of effort, by the Government of India and the Indian Navy to supplement the oxygen requirement in the country. It may be recalled that INS Jalashwa and INS Shardul had also participated in operation Samudra Setu last year to repatriate stranded Indian citizens from abroad.