Japanese Coast Guard training ship arrives in Kochi

Kochi, Jul 23: Japanese Coast Guard training ship Kojima arrived here this morning on a three-day visit to India for cross training activities with the Indian Coast Guard.

The Japanese vessel, with 88 officers and trainees on board, arrived here at 0830 hrs. Senior Indian Coast Guard officers, including Commandant Rajeev and Commandant Deepak Singh, received the Japanese crew led by Superintendent Yasuharu Ogawa.

The ship, with an overall length of 115 meters and gross tonnage of about 3000 tonnes, had departed from Hiroshima on May 12 for a 93-day ocean training cruise.

The crew includes post graduate trainees and other trainees of the Japan Coast Guard Academy.

At Kochi, the JCG ship trainee officers and crew will hold cross training activities at the Indian Coast Guard Training Centre.

They will also witness a demonstration of 'search and rescue' and 'pollution response' capabilities by the Indian Coast Guard units of Kerala and Lakshadweep.

They will also play friendly volleyball tournaments and other games.

The Japanese ship, which visited Honolulu, New York and Naples before arriving here, will leave on July 25 for Singapore before returning to Hiroshima on August 12.

UNI