Mangaluru, May 5 (PTI) India on Wednesday received 54 tonnes of oxygen from Bahrain as part of Operation Samudra Setu-II launched by Indian Navy to transport oxygen and associated medical supplies from friendly foreign nations.
The INS Talwar docked this afternoon at the New Mangaluru port with 54 tonnes of oxygen, a Defence official said in a statement.
As part of the ongoing national effort to fight the Covid 19 pandemic, the Navy had launched Operation Samudra Setu II to bring in by sea the much-needed oxygen and associated medical supplies from friendly foreign countries.
"As many as nine warships have been diverted to various ports in the region extending from Kuwait in the West to Singapore in the East," Vice Admiral M S Pawar, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, on the was quoted as saying in the statement.
Additionally, INS Airavat from Singapore and INS Kolkata from Kuwait are heading back home with Liquid Oxygen, Oxygen filled cylinders, cryogenic tanks and other medical equipment, the statement read.
According to the defence official, three more warships are scheduled to pick up more supplies from Kuwait and Doha.
The LPD INS Jalashwa mission deployed in South East Asia is ready to be diverted to ports in the region as the situation demands, it added.
"Just as last year Indian Navy had launched Operation Samudra Setu to repatriate our distressed citizens from IOR countries, let me assure the countrymen that the Navy will continue with its efforts to bring relief and together, we will overcome this challenge," the Vice Admiral said.
