A U.S. Coast Guard ship Midgett arrived here on Friday as part of goodwill gesture between the Indian Coast Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard and to participate in a joint exercise to be conducted off Chennai on September 19.
During the stay of Midgett in harbour, various activities are planned, including official calls, reciprocal visit onboard ships, sports activity, cultural show and professional interactions between personnel of both the Coast Guards, a press release said.
The aim of the visit is to boost interactions between Coast Guard of both the nations and enhance interoperability in the fields of maritime search and rescue, anti-piracy operations and other maritime law enforcement tasks.
Midgett is commanded by U.S. Coast Guard Captain Willie Carmichael. “As we spend the next four days with our Indian Coast Guard partners, we will work to advance our capabilities and interoperability through meaningful human interactions with our like-minded partners who share similar values and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said.
U.S. Consul-General in Chennai Judith Ravin said: “India is an important partner of the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region. I am confident the U.S.-India partnership during the visit of Midgett will strengthen our bond towards a shared vision of a free and secure Indo-Pacific.”
