India steps up post-tsunami cooperation

Kochi, June 21 (UNI) In the aftermath of the December, 2004 tsunami devastation, India is collaborating with seven littoral states of the Indian Ocean to develop regional expertise in hydrographic surveying and nautical charting.

Briefing mediapersons on the occasion of the 'World Hydrographic Day' today, a spokesman of the Southern Naval Command said here that a Memorandum of Understanding on hydrographic cooperation was signed with Mauritius recently and hydrographic surveys of their waters undertaken.

In addition, surveys of ports and harbours of Seychelles and the Maldives had also been undertaken, he said.

As an active member of the Monaco-based International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), the Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD) has been promoting India's maritime interests, notably on the issues of standards for global charts, strategic planning and work programmes of the IHO and Global Maritime Distress and Safety Services (GMDSS), he said.

Since the past few years, the INHD had been producing digital charts in the form of Electronic Navigation Charts (ENC) for use in the Electronic Navigation Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) of the IHO. The ENC/ECDIS is a cutting edge product of information technology, applied to maritime navigation, to increase the safety and efficiency of navigation at sea. India is one of the few countries in the world producing these electronic charts, he added.

Also, the National Hydrographic School, Goa, one of the training schools of the Southern Naval Command and an integral part of the INHD, has been training hydrographic officers, technicians, civilians as well as personnel from the Indian Ocean littoral states. It has been classified as the Regional Hydrographic Training Centre for Africa, Persian Gulf and South East Asian region, he added.

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