The three-day-long joint coastal security exercise conducted in the Andaman Sea concluded early June. The central and state maritime stakeholders—Andaman & Nicobar Administration, Marine Police, State Police, Fisheries Department, Forest Department, Port Management Board (PMB), Directorate of Shipping Services (DSS), Light House authorities, Customs alongwith Navy and Coast Guard Components of Andaman and Nicobar Command participated in the exercise.

The exercise was conducted in two phases. In the first phase officials from all agencies participated in simulated drills— ‘table-top exercises’ in board room to fine-tune their standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Coastal Security.

The second phase was ‘tactical phase’ wherein live situations were simulated in which stakeholders reactions were assessed for future improvement. The exercise was also utilised to create awareness about the usage of toll free telephone number 1093 dedicated for reporting coastal security issues. The highlight of the exercise was cross deployment of Navy, and Coast Guard personnel in order to understand the working environment of each service.