Indian Coast Guard participates in Asian maritime security meet in Istanbul

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) participated in the 19th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) in Turkey's Istanbul, that took place from September 5 to 8. Director General Rakesh Pal led the ICG delegation, which consists of four members.

As per information, during the three-day meet, a series of vital issues, including, maritime law enforcement, safety and security of life at sea, marine environment protection, illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons, and humans at sea etc were discussed.

The HACGAM is an annual event hosted by one of its member nations on a rotational basis. In 2022, the 18th edition of the meeting was hosted by the ICG in New Delhi.

The forum, which has 23-member coast guard agencies and two associate members - Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) - was initiated by Japan to promote cooperation among regional coast guards.

This was launched after the capture of the pirated vessel MV Alondra Rainbow by the Indian Coast Guard in November 1999.

The primary focus of the HACGAM is to foster cooperation between the coast guards of the member Asian states to ensure and promote safe, secure and clean seas in the region. To achieve this, HACGAM comprised four working groups that enable a focused and goal-oriented approach towards coordinated response and synergy towards common maritime issues.

The forum resolves to further strengthen the maritime cooperation among the Asian coast guards.

The Indian coast guard chairs the search and rescue (SAR) working group and is a proactive member of the other working groups, which include environmental protection, controlling unlawful acts at sea, and information sharing.