The Indian Coast Guard held a Regional Search and Rescue exercise in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, on March 28-29, 2023. The exercise aimed to simulate a real-time maritime distress scenario and highlight how a Search and Rescue (SAR) organization functions during a mass rescue operation.

• The exercise involved all stakeholders in efficiently using available resources for the M-SAR (Maritime Search and Rescue) contingency.
• The exercise simulated an Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) carrying hundreds of passengers reporting a distress call of a major fire onboard off the coast of Kakinada.
• Maritime Rescue sub-center (MRSC) Kakinada coordinated with all resource agencies to save lives in distress. The state disaster contingency plan was activated to support the operations at sea.