In news- The third edition of the GMC 2021 was held between 07-09 November.
About Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC)-
- It was hosted by the Indian Navy under the aegis of Naval War College, Goa.
- The GMC is Indian Navy’s Outreach Initiative providing a multinational platform to harness the collective wisdom of practitioners of maritime security and the academia towards garnering outcome oriented maritime thought.
- Theme: “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR Navies”.
- At the GMC 2021, Indian Navy hosted Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Maritime Forces from 12 Indian Ocean Region (IOC) countries comprising Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
- The GMC aimed to bring together regional stakeholders and deliberate on the collaborative implementation strategies in dealing with contemporary maritime security challenges.
- During the conclave, the Defence Secretary highlighted the Indian initiative of setting up an Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region.
- As part of the Conclave, visitors witnessed India’s indigenous shipbuilding industry at the ‘Make in India Exhibition’ and the capabilities of Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) for Submarines at the Marmugao Port Trust, Goa.
Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region-
- IFC-IOR was inaugurated in 2018, with a focus on India and like-minded countries sharing real-time developments in the maritime domain.
- It has been also recognised by the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).
- It keeps an eye on the Indian Ocean with a key focus on the early mobilisation of resources in case of any crisis.
- It has been established at Gurugram, India and is collocated with the Information Management and Analysis Centre which is jointly administered by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.
- It is established with the vision of strengthening maritime security in the region and beyond, by building a common coherent maritime situation picture and acting as a maritime information hub for the region.
India’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV)
- In 2018, the Indian Navy inducted its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) System at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
- DSRV is used to rescue crew members stranded in submarines that get disabled.
- The Indian Navy is among a select group of naval forces in the world that boasts of this niche capability.
- The DSRV can be operated at a depth of 650 meters and can hold around 15 people.
- The Indian Navy in March 2016 had commissioned two DSRVs.
Source: PIB
