INS Airavat of Indian Navy leaves for Visakhapatnam with Medical Oxygen

Indian Navy’s ‘Operation Samudra Setu – II’ is bringing oxygen and other medical equipment from other countries to India. INS Airavat, loaded with oxygen containers, concentrators and testing kits, left Singapore for Vizag on 5 May 2021. Ships from three Commands of the Indian Navy- Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Kochi- have been deployed for this purpose. These efforts are being made to mitigate the shortage of medical oxygen while India is witnessing a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases.

On 2 May 2021, the Indian Navy’s warship, INS Airavat reached Changi Naval Base in Singapore. The past three days went in onboarding the emergency relief material. The consignment consists of more than 3600 oxygen cylinders, eight 27 ton (216 tons) of oxygen tanks, 10000 Rapid Antigen Detection Test Kits, 7 concentrators and 8 ISO Cryogenic Oxygen tanks, which are a part of a commercial deal involving Tata Group, ITC and Linde Gas Ltd.

This nine-warship consignment operation is the fruit of the efforts and contributions of the IIT alumni association in Singapore. Various other organisations like Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI), Global, Wilhelmsen Ships Services, Dupont Sustainable Solutions, Global Indian International School of Singapore, DBS Bank, SEA Group, Wilmar International and Galaxy Container Services Pte Ltd have also extended their hand. While these attempts of bringing life-saving equipment are being made, Adani Global Pte Ltd in partnership with the SICCI and the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) are jointly raising financial and logistics support to help India alleviate the immense pressure on its health services.

The High Commission of India thanked the Indian Community members and well-wishers of India in Singapore for their tremendous efforts in bailing out India in this unprecedented influx of patients in hospitals.

The deployment of nine warships by the Indian Navy is as part of the ‘Operation Samudra Setu II’. These form a part of the multiple lines of effort, by the GoI and the Indian Navy to supplement the oxygen requirement in Visakhapatnam and other cities of the country.

While INS Airavat is on its way from Changi, Indian Naval Ship Talwar, on the Western seaboard, entered the port of New Mangalore in Karnataka on 5 May. Talwar’s consignment consisted of two 27 tons of liquid oxygen from Bahrain.

INS Kolkata, deployed in the Persian Gulf, also left Kuwait on 5th May containing two 27 ton oxygen tanks, 400 Oxygen cylinders and 47 concentrators. In addition, four warships are on their way from Qatar and Kuwait. These ships will carry around nine 27-ton Oxygen tanks and more than 1500 oxygen cylinders from these countries.

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

On the Eastern seaboard front, INS Jalashwa remains deployed in the region, standing by to embark on medical stores at short notice.

Last year the Indian Navy had launched a similar operation to bring back approximately 4,000 stranded and distressed Indian citizens from the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Iran. The operation was called ‘Operation Samudra Setu’ and it was part of the Vande Bharat Mission.