Indian Navy deploys LSI UNI-PAC II SAR Kits to Help Chinese Navy
By Neeraj Rajput
There are few occasions when the navies of India and China cooperate on the high seas. On 17 May, Indian Navy’s US-origin reconnaissance aircraft P8I Poseidon helped in the search and rescue (SAR) of a sunken Chinese fishing vessel in the Southern Indian Ocean Region at the request of the Chinese PLA Navy.
“In a swift humanitarian action on 17 May, Indian Navy deployed its Air Maritime Reconnaissance assets in the Southern Indian Ocean Region approximately 900 Nm from India, in response to sinking of a Chinese Fishing Vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 with 39 crew onboard”, said Commander Vivek Madhwal, Spokesperson of the Indian Navy. All 39 crew of the Chinese vessel are reportedly missing since then.
P8I aircraft carried out multiple and extensive searches despite adverse weather and located multiple objects possibly belonging to the sunken vessel, Commander Madhwal added.
The crew of the Lu Peng Yuan Yu vessel included nationals from China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. As an immediate response, search & rescue equipment was deployed at the scene by the Indian aircraft (P8I) at the request of PLA (N) ships closing the area, Indian Navy’s Spokesperson said.
Chinese fishing vessel was about 267 nm from the strategically important Diego Gracia base of the UK and US armed forces in Southern IOR. The accident site of the Chinese vessel was south of the Maldives and about 900nm from the Indian coast.
