Rajnath speaks to Indonesian defence minister; assures support to trace missing submarine

The Indian Navy has already sent a DSRV to support the Indonesian Navy's effort to trace the submarine

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday spoke to his Indonesian counterpart Gen Prabowo Subianto and assured him of India's "full support" to Indonesia in tracing a missing submarine with 53 people on board.

The Indian Navy has already sent a deep submergence rescue vessel (DSRV) to support the Indonesian Navy's effort to trace the submarine that went missing on Wednesday during military exercise around the Bali Strait.

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"Spoke to the Defence Minister of Indonesia, General Prabowo Subianto over the phone and shared my pain over the news of missing submarine Nanggala and its crew members. India is extending its full support to the ongoing Indonesian rescue efforts," Singh tweeted.

Singh said India is always committed to assist its strategic partners during times of need and that Gen Subianto has acknowledged and appreciated India's support to his country.

"I have already directed the @indiannavy to move its Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) to Indonesia. I have also tasked the Indian Air Force to see the feasibility of induction of the DSRV intervention system by air," he said.

Earlier, Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said India is among a few countries globally which are capable of undertaking search and rescue of a disabled submarine through a DSRV.

He said the Indian Navy's DSRV system can locate any submarine at a depth of 1,000 metres utilising its state of the art side scan sonar (SSS) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

"After the submarine is successfully located, another sub module of DSRV- the submarine rescue vehicle (SRV) - mates with the submarine to rescue the trapped personnel. The SRV can also be used to provide emergency supplies to the submarine," he said.

Under the framework of comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Indonesia, the two navies share a strong partnership of operational cooperation.