Mauritian authorities have welcomed on 01 November 2022, the INS Darshak, which has been deployed by the Government of India to carry out hydrographic surveys in the waters of Mauritius for a period of 45 days.
INS Darshak will carry out surveys off Mauritius, identify potential fishing zones for placement of fish aggregator devices, and also carry out hydrographic surveys of St Brandon and Agalega. Officers of the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning will form part of the survey team.
India and Mauritius signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in hydrography in 2005, under which Indian Naval survey ships have been deployed 14 times so far to undertake hydrographic surveys of Mauritian waters, resulting in the publication of 11 navigational charts and 13 electronic navigational charts. Eight of these charts have received international recognition status through the joint efforts of Mauritius and India.
INS Darshak has visited Mauritius thrice before, in the years 2012, 2016 and 2019, and is the 15thdeployment of Indian Naval Surveying Ship for joint surveys since its first visit in 2006. INS Darshak is a first-of-its-class of survey ships and a state-of-the-art vessel equipped with the latest equipment including SONAR, a helicopter, and several motor boats for carrying out hydrographic surveys. The ship also doubles up as a hospital ship, if required, and carries a full medical complement, that has been used extensively to provide assistance to people during natural disasters.
In order to provide Mauritians with a unique glimpse into the little known area of hydrography and a first-hand experience of these interesting facets of the ship, INS Darshak will be open to the public on Sunday 04 December 2022.