'Maritime corona warriors'

It was a cloudy morning in the Gulf of Oman on June 8, 2020. While the COVID 19 had brought most activity across the world to a near standstill, our ship had been continuously deployed for over three months, involved in COVID relief operations. It was just the previous evening when we had evacuated more than 200 Indian nationals from Bandar Abbas, Iran, as part of Operation Samudra Setu. These were our countrymen (NRIs) who could not be given due medical care in their country of work due to the pandemic and needed to be repatriated. Life onboard during these challenging times had been more than stirring. I had gained a whole new level of respect and appreciation for the grit, determination, and courage of every member of my crew who approached this unique mission with an unwavering sense of purpose and duty.

As I was reflecting on these aspects, I came across an interesting neologism whilst glancing at the news summary — 'Corona Warriors'. So, what would they call us when we finish this operation? Before I could think of an apt term, the crew reported two warships of our potential adversary in close vicinity and a military reconnaissance aircraft flying low nearby. Now the job was becoming more interesting. Simultaneously performing two totally diverse roles of the Navy — humanitarian and military — was fascinating. Situation at hand provided the term I was looking for – 'Maritime Corona Warriors' – undertaking COVID relief even when the military challenges were both live and demanding.

At the start of the pandemic, when the 'virus' was still a mystery and vaccine was nowhere in sight, the government had a gruelling task of not only managing the internal situation, but also to support the Indian diaspora abroad. The Armed Forces had a bigger challenge to deal with. War-like situation had developed due to aggressive melee along the Sino-Indian borders and operational readiness had to be ensured despite the severe spread of COVID. As the Indian Navy was deployed in the Indian Ocean Region in Military role, ready for action, the government ordered a humanitarian mission named 'Vande Bharat' to bring back our fellow countrymen stranded in other countries due to the world-wide lockdown. Operation Samudra Setu, was the Navy's response to the government's call.

Exceptional measures were necessitated because evacuation operations using 'warships' during a grave pandemic could be dangerous. A 'warship' is an exceptional workplace with limited living space, confined interiors, common bathrooms/ toilets/ dining halls and recirculated air – perfect environment for spread of COVID-like infection. But unavailability of any other suitable means at that time necessitated evacuation by warships. 'Maritime Corona Warriors', therefore, had a very serious and complicated task amidst a severely infectious disease, all without lowering its own operational guard in the face of the ongoing border tensions.

Many unique challenges were at hand – accommodation of evacuees with social distancing onboard cramped warships, material readiness for one of the largest evacuation missions during a nationwide lockdown, and keeping the crew safe from the infection despite interaction with untested civilians, to mention a few. But the teamwork within the service ensured mitigation of these problems and readiness of ships in the shortest possible time, without compromising on operational readiness and war fighting capabilities. Four warships — Jalashwa, Shardul, Airavat and Magar — commenced evacuation from Iran, Sri Lanka and Maldives and in the next 55 days, about 4,000 Indian citizens were evacuated. The operation worked with clockwork precision and Operation Samudra Setu culminated with success – but this was not the end of action for 'Maritime Corona Warriors'.

In line with PM's vision of Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) and to reiterate India's position as a dependable partner in the region, with Indian Navy as the principle maritime agency and first responder in the maritime domain, Indian Navy also reached out to our Friendly Foreign Countries in IOR through Mission SAGAR, wherein medical services, essential commodities and equipment were provided to countries in our maritime neighbourhood by Indian Naval ships and aircraft. During the first wave, Indian Navy ships and aircraft were deployed to provide relief to Comoros, Eritrea, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Sudan, Seychelles, South Sudan, Cambodia and Vietnam under the SAGAR I-IV series of deployments. Subsequently, during the second wave, based on requests received from their respective governments, Covid aid, including liquid oxygen, was trans-shipped to Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Subsequently, amidst the second Covid wave, all efforts continued to be made to support the national cause. The Indian Navy was called in to augment the national mission 'Oxygen Express' for meeting medical oxygen requirements, leading to commencement of Operation Samudra Setu-II. Better prepared this time, the Navy displayed unparalleled ingenuity to promptly modify its warships for embarking huge liquid medical oxygen-filled cryogenic containers / associated medical equipment and these were deployed for the mission swiftly. Warships from all three Naval Commands in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Kochi were deployed for shipment of Liquid Medical Oxygen filled containers and other medical equipment from friendly foreign countries across the expanse of the Indian Ocean Region, from Persian Gulf to South East Asia, thereby significantly contributing to the improved oxygen availability in the country.

Successful COVID relief missions under extreme operational encumbrance and volatile geopolitical situation were an extraordinary feat achieved by the 'Maritime Corona Warriors' of the Indian Navy. Operation Samudra Setu was indeed a testimony of commitment and fortitude of these brave mariners as well as the flexibility and versatility inherent to the service. When the world outside was debating trauma being faced because of lockdown and quarantine at home, these gallant men and women were silently performing their duty, under quarantine onboard ships/ submarines for months, without concern for their safety or hope for any incentive. In fact, sacrifice by their family members, who were living in constant apprehension about the safety of their loved ones, also merits mention. The way Indian Naval fraternity handled these challenging times certainly made the 'Maritime Corona Warriors' eligible for a place in the highest echelons of the Corona Warrior fraternity and generated a confidence in the people of our country that their Navy is well poised to handle any crisis in the future.

The writer is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and a specialist in Navigation and Direction. Views expressed are personal.