Coast Guard carries out operation 'Island Watch' along Gujarat coast | Watch

A hovercraft is an amphibious vehicle that is capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. They are said to be highly useful in hot pursuit of any suspicious boat or individuals in the water due to their agility and speed.

Published on: Jul 5, 2022, 12:51:04 IST

By HT News Desk

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Indian Coast Guard on Tuesday carried out Operation 'Island Watch' along Dwarka coast in Gujarat where hovercrafts carried out search of uninhabited islands in vicinity. In a video shared by news agency ANI, the hovercraft can be seen making its way to the coast after riding the sea waves. As the vehicle reaches the shore, the air cushion releases air and deflates, but not completely.

Screengrab from image shared by news agency ANI.

Later, three armed Coast guards can be seen coming out of the hovercraft and surveying the area. The video also shows the inside visuals of the hovercraft where two guards can be seen maneuvering via GPS and several other navigation assisting technology.

What is a hovercraft?

A hovercraft is an amphibious vehicle that is capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercrafts can operate at a speed ranging between 30-40 knots (around 50-60 kilometres) per hour. They are said to be highly useful in hot pursuit of any suspicious boat or individuals in the water due to their agility and speed.

The Indian Coast Guard conducts innumerable real-life operations round the year at sea. It possesses a diverse range of capabilities effective for both surface and air operations. ICG is headed by the Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG) from the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) located at New Delhi.

As per the information provided on the ICG portal, the Maritime Zones of India are divided into five Coast Guard Regions for effective command and control. These are North-West, West, East, North-East and Andaman & Nicobar, with the respective Regional Headquarters located at Gandhinagar, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Port Blair.

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HT News Desk
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