INS Airavat reaches Visakhapatnam with Covid-19 relief material

Indian Navy Ship (INS) Airavat arrived at Visakhapatnam on Thursday, 3 June 2021, with medical equipment from Vietnam and Singapore. This Naval vessel operational visit is part of Operation Samudra Setu II, which brings Covid-19 relief materials including Cryogenic oxygen tanks, oxygen Cylinders, and ventilators from overseas. 

INS Airavat brought along 158 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen in seven Cryogenic Oxygen Tanks, 2722 Oxygen Cylinders, and other Covid-19 relief materials including 10 ventilators. These operations are being facilitated by the Indian Mission overseas. The consignment is being handed over to various Govt agencies and NGOs after disembarkation. 

INS Airavat is part of the nine ship consignments that have been deployed to bring Covid-19 relief materials to India. Earlier on 10 May 2021, INS Airavat reached Visakhapatnam, bringing 3,600 oxygen cylinders, eight 27 tons (216 tons) of oxygen tanks, 10,000 Rapid Antigen Detection Test Kits, 7 concentrators, and 8 ISO Cryogenic Oxygen tanks. 

As part of the same operation, INS Jalashwa brought across a large consignment of medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders. The consignment consisted of 39 ventilators. While there are 18 Cryogenic tanks arriving in the consignment, 15 of them will be containing Liquid Medical Oxygen. While these operations are being taken up across India, INS Trikand arrived at Mumbai harbor with a consignment of 40 Metric tons of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO).

 The operations being conducted by the Indian Navy are part of the Government initiatives in partnership with global samaritans in view of the second wave of the Covid-19 virus.  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.

Last year a similar operation called Operation Samudra Setu, which was part of the Vande Bharat Mission played an integral role in bringing back 4,000 stranded and distressed citizens from Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Iran.