Karnataka: Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)’s indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters(ALH) 'Dhruv' and 'Chetak' were pressed into service to fight against Mauritius oil spill. Dhruv and Chetak were deployed to rescue people and extricate skimmed oil from the Japanese owned cargo ship MV Wakashio, HAL said in a statement.
“Time and again the indigenous Dhruv helicopter has proven its capabilities. Our helicopters were extensively utilized for search and rescue operations in the past as well”, said Mr R Madhavan, Chairman and Managing Director(CMD), HAL.
The Mauritius reef relief operations have been going on for the last three days. The oil spill started after MV Wakashio rammed into a reef in the marine park off the South-East coast of Mauritius on July 25, and spilling about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil, while sailing from China to Brazil.
"Thanks to the Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guards and Mauritius police, HAL helicopters flew non-stop dawn to dusk till all the survivors on board were safely rescued. The HAL helicopters have flown for 110 hrs and rescued 600 persons to and from MV Wakasio," Madhavan added.
Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard(ICG) has also sent a 10-member specialist team with equipment to Mauritius for supplementing on-going efforts to contain the oil spill.
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According to a tweet from Indian High Commission in Mauritius, 30 tonnes of specialised equipment and 10-member technical response team from Indian Coast Guard arrived in Mauritius from India onboard an Indian Air Force aircraft to assist in salvage, containment and oil spill clean up operations. The various pollution response equipment such as ocean and river Booms, skimmers, salvage barge were dispatched to combat the oil spill.
The accident had taken place close to two environmentally protected marine ecosystems and the Blue Bay Marine Park reserve, which is a wetland of international importance. Mauritius declared a state of an environmental emergency, nearly two weeks after the shipwreck. The oil spill will adversely affect a number of tourist beaches, mangrove plantations, biodiversity, coral reefs and the entire marine ecosystem.
A total of 210 cargo and 270 winch operations have been undertaken by HAL choppers so far. Initially, Chetak helicopters were used primarily for winching survivors. The ALHs have indulged in continuous missions to get the international salvage team on-board the ship to contain the spill.
Dhruv is indigenously designed and developed by HAL for the military and civil applications. The utility version of the Dhruv helicopter can be used for VIP travel, commuter, search and rescue, emergency medical service, underslung load, disaster relief, and offshore operations. Dhruv helicopter is suitable for increased payload at higher altitudes and is in operation with all the three Service wings. More than 240 helicopters are operational with the Indian Armed Forces clocking more than 2,70,000 flying hours.
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