The chairman of the Offshore Security Co-ordination Committee (OSCC) and the Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG), DG Rajendra Singh, PTM, TM, underlined the importance of oil exploration and the maritime sector in India’s march towards a ‘bhavya and divya Bharat’. He also stressed upon the need for a safe and secure environment for exploration and production activities to aid India’s quest for energy which extends farther and deeper. He was speaking at the 131st meeting of the OSCC, held recently in Mumbai.

The chairman highlighted the impact of climate change and stated, “With 14 depressions and seven cyclones, the previous year had been a challenging one. All the security forces and other agencies have worked in cohesion to avert any major disaster during these natural calamities.” Singh further emphasised the need to adapt equipment, systems, operations and doctrines for climate change and natural disasters. Recalling the incident of listing of the drilling rig Olinda Star off Kakinada and the grounding of dredger Veera Prem off Karaikal, the chairman stressed on the importance of preemptive measures and coordination amongst various agencies during disasters.

Drawing attention to the trans-boundary and the dynamic nature of maritime threats, that pose typical challenges, Singh impressed upon the stakeholders for a collective thinking and a co-ordinated approach for achieving the aims of offshore security. He reviewed the progress on various ongoing projects and deliberated on various issues pertaining to offshore security, inter-agency coordination, surveillance around ODAs and so on. He urged the stakeholders to address the pending issues in a time bound manner with urgency, so as to arrive at a logical end. He added, “While offshore exploration is a national demand for growing energy security, securing the offshore areas is equally vital. Hence, as an economically progressive peninsular nation, with probabilities of maritime asymmetric threats, an optimum balance has to be brought out between the economics, productivity and security to ensure meeting the nation’s demand for both energy as well as security.”

Writer: The Pioneer

Source: The Pioneer

The chairman of the Offshore Security Co-ordination Committee (OSCC) and the Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG), DG Rajendra Singh, PTM, TM, underlined the importance of oil exploration and the maritime sector in India’s march towards a ‘bhavya and divya Bharat’. He also stressed upon the need for a safe and secure environment for exploration and production activities to aid India’s quest for energy which extends farther and deeper. He was speaking at the 131st meeting of the OSCC, held recently in Mumbai.

The chairman highlighted the impact of climate change and stated, “With 14 depressions and seven cyclones, the previous year had been a challenging one. All the security forces and other agencies have worked in cohesion to avert any major disaster during these natural calamities.” Singh further emphasised the need to adapt equipment, systems, operations and doctrines for climate change and natural disasters. Recalling the incident of listing of the drilling rig Olinda Star off Kakinada and the grounding of dredger Veera Prem off Karaikal, the chairman stressed on the importance of preemptive measures and coordination amongst various agencies during disasters.

Drawing attention to the trans-boundary and the dynamic nature of maritime threats, that pose typical challenges, Singh impressed upon the stakeholders for a collective thinking and a co-ordinated approach for achieving the aims of offshore security. He reviewed the progress on various ongoing projects and deliberated on various issues pertaining to offshore security, inter-agency coordination, surveillance around ODAs and so on. He urged the stakeholders to address the pending issues in a time bound manner with urgency, so as to arrive at a logical end. He added, “While offshore exploration is a national demand for growing energy security, securing the offshore areas is equally vital. Hence, as an economically progressive peninsular nation, with probabilities of maritime asymmetric threats, an optimum balance has to be brought out between the economics, productivity and security to ensure meeting the nation’s demand for both energy as well as security.”

Writer: The Pioneer

Source: The Pioneer