Pursuant to the request of the Government of the Republic of Mauritius for supplying two serviceable Main engines for the CGS Guardian, the Seaward Defence Boat of the Mauritius National Coast Guard (NCG), the Government of India tapped into the resources of the Indian Navy and dispatched two serviceable Main Engines to Mauritius.

2. The two serviceable 3670 HP MTU Main Engines which have a combined cost of over US$ 3 million (MRs 90 million) arrived in Mauritius on September 29, 2011. These engines will be used by the NCG to enhance the operational usage of main propulsion machinery onboard the CGS Guardian. It will also obviate the need to approach the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) of the engines for the highly-priced critical spares. The availability of these engines will mitigate the maintenance problems faced by CGS Guardian due to ageing and will ensure that the vessel remains sea-worthy to perform its onerous duties with respect to enforcing maritime security in Mauritian waters.

3. The High Commission of India is organising a ceremony to hand over the two engines to the Government of the Republic of Mauritius on October 7, 2011 at 1530 hrs at Quay A, Port Louis Harbour.

4. Seaward Defence Boat MK III ‘T-61’ of the Indian Navy was transferred and re-commissioned CGS Guardian in April 1993 as a gesture of friendship, under the longstanding and meaningful bilateral cooperation between India and Mauritius. The vessel underwent a subsidised Medium Refit (MR) at Naval Dockyard (Mumbai) in 2005-06. Subsequently, in October 2006, an Indian Naval Technical and Training Support Team was deputed to Mauritius to undertake focused training of the vessel’s technical personnel and to address other maintenance issues. In February 2009, an expert team from the Indian Navy undertook critical W-4 routines on the Main Engines of the vessel.

5. For over 16 years, the CGS Guardian, known as the workhorse of the NCG, has been extensively deployed in Mauritian waters for Search and Rescue (SAR) missions, surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and for Outer Island support operations. This had created a requirement for critical spares and rectification and maintenance of the vessel’s machinery onboard.

6. Close cooperation in security matters is an important dimension of the comprehensive Indo-Mauritian bilateral relationship. Cooperation between India and Mauritius in security matters is multi-faceted and includes capacity building and training, joint surveillance and anti-piracy patrols, undertaking of high-value projects and transfer/delivery of equipment. The transfer of the two serviceable Main Engines to the Mauritius Police Force free of cost for use by the CGS Guardian is a reflection of the commitment that underpins the mutually beneficial partnership between the two friendly countries.