New Delhi: In a significant milestone to develop bilateral naval cooperation, the navies of India and South Africa on September 4, 2024 signed an implementation agreement to enhance submarine rescue support cooperation that ensures the “safety of the South African Navy’s submarine crew in times of distress or accident.”
The Indian Navy said in a statement, “Under this agreement, the Indian Navy will provide assistance by deploying its Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) when required, further strengthening the collaborative ties between the two navies.” The agreement was signed by Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi and Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, Chief of the South African Navy.
“The Implementing Agreement underscores a shared commitment to maritime safety and mutual support. This partnership reinforces the longstanding maritime relationship between India and South Africa,” it added.
The Indian Navy operationalised two DSRVs procured from UK in Mumbai (2018) and in Visakhapatnam the next year. The system can go to a maximum depth of 650 metres and can rescue 14 people in one go. It also has a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). During trials in 2018, the DSRV had dived up to 666 metres, setting a record for deepest submergence by a ‘manned’ vessel in Indian waters. The DSRV crew also carried out ROV operations at over 750m and Side Scan Sonar operations at over 650m depths.
Designed for ease of transportation in case of any exigency, the entire system of DSRV has been divided into 24 components which can be easily transported by road, sea or air. The system is attached to a mother ship INS Sabarmati of the Ship Building Corporation, or it can also be transported by heavy transport aircraft like IL-76 and C-17.
India has offered its submarine rescue capabilities to littoral nations in the Indian Ocean Region. In April 2021, India had dispatched the two DSRVs to locate the missing Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala but were called back mid-way after the Indonesian Navy declared that it had located debris of the missing submarine. India and Singapore have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to exchange practices on submarine rescue.
