New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) India is hosting the maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise in Sri Vijaya Puram, the capital of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to strengthen maritime cooperation, enhance operational coordination and interoperability among member countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Saturday.

The exercise, which commenced on Friday and will continue until November 3, is among the key initiatives announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand last year.

It features three days of Tabletop Exercises followed by a two-day Harbour Phase, with ships from BIMSTEC member countries participating.

In a post on X, the MEA said, "The exercise translates the shared vision of BIMSTEC leaders into action, reinforcing maritime cooperation, enhancing operational coordination and interoperability, and contributing towards a safe, secure and stable maritime environment in the Bay of Bengal."

According to Andaman and Nicobar Command, the maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise was inaugurated at Sri Vijaya Puram on Friday by Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command.

The ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, National Maritime Security Coordinator, along with senior delegations from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

"Anchored in the Delhi Declaration, the exercise marks a significant step towards translating shared maritime security commitments into coordinated action at sea. It aims to enhance interoperability, strengthen information sharing and promote collective responses to maritime threats and transnational challenges, including terrorism," Andaman & Nicobar Command posted on X on Saturday.

The exercise aims to enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA), build operational coordination across the Bay of Bengal, strengthen regional security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and responses to cross-border maritime crimes as well as marine pollution due to oil and hazardous material spills.

BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a regional organisation comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Over the years, BIMSTEC has emerged as a vibrant and dynamic regional organisation.

Member states share the vision of a free, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

--IANS

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