INS Talwar reaches Mangaluru with 40MT of liquid medical oxygen

MANGALURU: The New Mangaluru Port Trust (NMPT) handled the first naval vessel INS Talwar, which was carrying 40MT of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) under the Samudra Setu-II operation launched by the Indian Navy.
Upon its arrival, the vessel was given the highest priority berthing in the port, at berth No. 7.
The LMO is donated by the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Indian Red Cross Society, as a token of goodwill to overcome the current pandemic situation.
Under the Samudra Setu-II operation, the Indian Navy has deployed seven naval vessels for shipping the liquid medical oxygen-filled containers and associated medical equipment from various countries.
INS Talwar is the first vessel under the operation which embarked from Bahrain to reach New Mangaluru Port at 1.30pm on Wednesday.
The LMO containers will be transported to the destinations decided by the state government.
The port extended all its resources for berthing of the vessel, and handling of two oxygen containers on a free-of-cost basis, as per the directives of the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways.
S A Prabhakar Sharma, secretary of Indian Red Cross Society's Dakshina Kannada unit, said the consignment would be cleared by customs on priority.
“As a part of the ongoing national effort to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, the operation is aimed at bringing much-needed oxygen and associated medical supplies from friendly countries. Nine warships have been diverted to various ports in the region, extending from Kuwait in the west to Singapore in the east,’’ deputy chief of naval staff vice admiral M S Pawar said.
Additionally INS Airavat is heading back from Singapore and INS Kolkata from Kuwait, with liquid oxygen, oxygen-filled cylinders, cryogenic tanks and other medical equipment.
While three more warships are scheduled to pick up more supplies from Kuwait and Doha, the LPD INS Jalashwa, which is on a mission in southeast Asia, is ready to be diverted to ports in the region, as the situation demands.