Yokohama: Coast Guards of India and Japan kicked off their disaster control, search and rescue exercises off the coast of Yokohama in Japan here on Wednesday.
The senior leadership of both the forces including Indian Coast Guard Chief Rajendra Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shuichi Iwanami reviewed the drills.
Indian Coast Guard Ship ICGS Shaunak is the main Indian ship taking part in the drills. The two coast guards have been working very closely in the last two to three years after the establishment of deeper ties between both the sides at the highest political level.
Japanese ships came to India last year to carry out the exercise with the Coast Guard in India.
The ICGS Shaunkak is a 105-meter class Offshore Patrol Vessel and is one of the largest ships in the Indian Coast Guard.
With a crew of over 100 officers and sailors, the ship has been carrying out diplomatic duties also for the country along with disaster management and search and rescue operations on the Indian coastline.
Both the forces have huge experience in disaster management as Japan regularly faces earthquakes and sea storms while the Indian Coast Guard round the year manages the over 7,000-kilometre coastline of the country.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]