Tri-Lateral Tabletop Exercise 2013:

Maritime endeavour to overcome disasters

By Ranil Wijayapala

The preparedness of any nation in an emergency situations such as natural disasters or man -made disasters will always keep that nation resilient to disaster. As an island nation it is important for Sri Lanka to keep close contacts with regional nations and to have continuous dialogue to face such situations. This cooperation becomes more important when regional nations are bounded by the sea common to all.

As nations in the Indian Ocean Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives continued that relationship uninterrupted despite the ups and downs in the bilateral relations specially Sri Lanka and India enjoyed in the recent past. Sri Lanka witness yet another instance of that uninterrupted cooperation among India, Sri Lanka and Maldives when the Coast Guards of the three nations participated in a ‘Tri-Lateral Tabletop Exercise 2013” in Sri Lanka this week.

The Trilateral Tabletop Exercise (TTEX) 2013 was, an outcome of the Second National Security Advisor Level meeting on tri lateral cooperation for security between India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka which took place in Colombo on July 8, 2013.

In the Road Map of future co-operation, strengthening the tri Lateral exercise “Dosthi” every alternate year in Maldives, conducting table top exercise and seminars on maritime issues in every other alternate year, was charted and Sri Lanka Coast Guard took the responsibility of conducting the first Tabletop exercise this year.

Accordingly Sri Lanka Coast Guard hosted the first Tabletop Exercise in Trincomalee from December 18 to 20 under the theme ‘Trilateral Response to Search and Rescue, Oil Spill and Maritime Piracy’ with the participation of Naval and Coast Guard officers from India, Maldives and Sri Lanka at the Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda auditorium in Trincomalee.

Officers from the Indian Coast Guard, Maldives Coast Guard and Sri Lanka Coast Guard presented three papers on “Response to Oil spills: Importance of Awareness, Preparedness and Regional Approach”, “Maritime Piracy: Challenges in the Region and Countermeasures” and “Mass SAR: Regional Challenges and Way ahead” respectively. Officers from the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Air Force also participated in the exercise as observers.

A highlight of this Trilateral Desktop exercise was the visit of two Indian Coast Guard Ships ‘Vishwast and Rajkamal’to Trincomalee harbour on a good will visit parallel to the Trilateral Tabletop Exercise at a time Tamil Nadu politicians are demanding that India should not give chances for the Sri Lanka military personnel to undergo training in India.

The two Coast Guard ships were there in Trincomalee from 18 to 20 and expected to call on Port of Colombo on December 22 until they leave on December 26.

During their stay, the Indian Coast Guard ships conducted number of training sessions for Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard personnel on search and rescue and oil spill response. The two ships also expected conducting a passage exercise each in Trincomalee and Colombo.

The Trilateral Tabletop Exercise participants also got an opportunity to be on board the two ships for a practical demonstration of pollution response during their exercise.

Director General of Sri Lanka Coast Guard Rear Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne delivering the key note address highlighted the importance of trilateral response to major issues such as maritime search and rescue (SAR), oil spill and maritime piracy. He further expressed the importance of regional approach, coordination and cooperation in effectively arresting the above challenges.

“This Tri Lateral Table top exercise will be conducted through discussions, exchange of ideas expertise among participants. In the process, we will learn from each other so that we know our strengths and weaknesses.

There will be opportunity for each country to share the expertise and experience to make the cooperation among the three nations to effectively respond during an emergency or in a natural disaster”, he said.

“Ranking as the third largest water body in the world and containing some of the most important sea lanes which continue feeding some of the biggest economic giants in the region, safety and security of the Indian Ocean remains a critical factor for the economic sustainability of the countries which border the Indian Ocean and those who frequent the sea lanes carrying vital cargo.

In this context, the safety and security of the Indian Ocean becomes a global responsibility.

“On the line of maritime search and rescue, whether a country is party to a certain Conventions or not, we all have an obligation in responding to SAR”, he added.

“So, no matter where an accident occurs, rescue of persons in distress at sea will be co-ordinated by a SAR organization and, when necessary, by co-operation between neighbouring SAR organizations. Parties to the Convention are required to ensure that arrangements are made for the provision of adequate SAR services in their coastal waters. Parties are encouraged to enter into SAR agreements with neighbouring States involving the establishment of SAR regions, pooling of facilities, establishment of common procedures and training. Preparedness, higher level of training and coordination will help save lives during a disaster”, Rear Admiral Wijegunaratne said.

He said chart showing the SAR regions in the Indian Ocean show the vastness of the areas we are responsible and one country will not have sufficient assets to respond in quick and effective manner.

“Responding to Oil spills is another area where we need to be prepared. With the ever increasing maritime oil transportation around the world and especially through the Indian Ocean, an oil spill in our ocean area can create a huge challenge in terms of oil spill containment. Sri Lanka is yet to fully geared up to face a sizable oil spill in terms of professional knowledge and much required equipment”, he added.

“The other important area is maritime piracy. Even though our region is not badly affected by maritime piracy, high degree of preparedness among our navies and Coast Guards will have a great impact in responding to any eventualities. However, worldwide incidents of maritime piracy are on the decline, but ship operators shouldn’t assume that the problem has been put to rest”, he added.

“With the intention of educating onboard security teams on merchant ships on Best Management Practices against Somali-based pirates, commonly known as BMP4, Sri Lanka Coast Guard started training on board security teams on BMP4”, he added.

He requested all participants to make every endeavour to find solutions to some of the issues that three nations individually as well as regionally facing in responding to above three main areas.