Indian Coast Guard conducts major oil spill response drill off Odisha coast

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) held a three-day Regional Pollution Response Exercise (Re-PREX-24) off the coast of Paradip in Odisha, from November 12-14. The drill aimed to improve coordination and readiness among key stakeholders in tackling oil spills and marine pollution.
Major organisations such as the Paradip Port Authority, Dhamra Port, Gopalpur Port, BPCL, HPCL, IOCL, and the Odisha State Pollution Control Board took part in the mock drill. The event featured presentations, discussions, and a mock drill on an ICG ship, simulating an oil spill response.
The exercise provided critical insights and strategies for responding to potential oil spills along India’s sensitive coastlines. The ICG, committed to protecting marine environments, regularly conducts these drills to boost preparedness among coastal communities and stakeholders.
Meanwhile, the Indian Navy will conduct the fourth edition of the pan-India coastal defence exercise, ‘Sea Vigil-24’, on November 20 and 21, to test the readiness of the coastal security, and will see the involvement of six ministries and 21 organisations and agencies.
Since October-end, naval officers in charge of all coastal states and Union Territories (including Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands) have been conducting the Coastal Defence and Security Readiness Evaluation (cdsre) phase of the exercise, which involves a thorough audit of the complete coastal defence and security infrastructure.