Visit of INS Darshak from April 22 - May 17, 2012        

 1.   Under the aegis of the Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Field of Hydrography that was signed between the Governments of India and Mauritius in October 2005, the Seventh Indo-Mauritian Joint Hydrographic Committee Meeting was held in February 2012 in Mauritius. As an outcome of this Meeting, the Government of the Republic of India has deployed Indian Naval Ship INS Darshak in Mauritian waters from April 22 – May 17, 2012 to undertake the following hydrographic surveys and tasks requested for by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius.

• Bathymetric survey of the Southern coast of Mauritius from  Le Morne to Le Chaland to meet the requirements of placement of fish-aggregating devices for the Ministry of Fisheries.
• Survey of Le Morne as projected by the National Coast Guard, Ministry of Tourism and Leisure and the Mauritius Research Council.

2.   INS Darshak will dock at Port Louis harbour twice during its deployment in Mauritian waters – April 24-27 and May 12-15. The ship will embark Mauritian survey officers from the Ministry of Housing and Lands to train them in the use of modern electronic survey equipment. The deployment of INS Darshak to Mauritius waters also serves the objective of surveillance and anti-piracy patrol thus enhancing maritime security in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius. Therefore, the ship will also embark personnel from the Mauritius National Coast Guard while undertaking survey, anti-piracy and anti-poaching patrol in the Mauritian EEZ. 

3.   In line with the MoU signed between Mauritius and India in the field of hydrographic cooperation, Indian Naval survey ships have been visiting Mauritius every year since 2006.  A total of eighteen surveys have been undertaken and seven charts have been published. In 2010, fresh bathymetric surveys conducted by INS Nirdeshak were handed over to the Government of Mauritius. This helped the Government of Mauritius to strengthen its claim to an extended continental shelf beyond the EEZ, jointly with Seychelles. 

4.   INS Darshak is part of the third generation of ocean-going survey vessels of the Indian Navy and was commissioned April 28, 2001. The ship is fitted with state-of-the-art hydrographic and oceanographic equipment which includes fully automated digital surveying and multibeam system capable of scanning the complete seabed of the area of survey. The ship also has an integral helicopter which is extensively used for the survey operations and also for search and rescue missions. INS Darshak has been the forerunner in carrying out navigational surveys of various harbours in India and has also been carrying out surveys in the Indian Ocean Region. The ship is presently on an extended deployment and has visited Seychelles, South Africa and Mozambique. INS Darshak is commanded by Captain Ravi Nautiyal and has 180 personnel onboard.

5.   The visit of INS Darshak is another demonstration of enhanced bilateral cooperation between India and Mauritius on hydrography and maritime issues. The survey work performed by INS Darshak will be of assistance to Mauritius in the field of navigation, fishing, ecosystem preservation and management, and tourism.