NEW DELHI: Indian Warning Information and Navigation Services (IWINS), the country’s real-time information system launched 18 months ago, has crossed coverage of 26 million sq. km. of the Indian Ocean.
On the occasion of the ‘World Hydrography Day’, observed annually on 21st June, the Indian government said IWINS ‘shares information concerning the safety of navigation at sea and is being monitored daily by 3,500 merchant mariner and naval vessels’ in the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD), the country’s nodal agency for hydrographic surveys and nautical charting, has to date ‘published 650 electronic and paper navigation charts covering the national and international waters for utilisation by merchant ships and navies of the world,’ the government said in an announcement by its Press Information Bureau (PIB).
World Hydrography Day is observed under the auspices of the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) to ‘raise awareness about hydrography and how it plays a vit
al role in mankind’s knowledge of the seas and oceans’.
The IHO has a membership of 100 countries spread across all continents.
The theme for 21st June this year was ‘Hydrographic Information: Enhancing Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability in Marine Activities’. This theme was chosen in consideration of the ongoing transformation in navigation, such as e-navigation, autonomous shipping and reduction of emissions leading to a profound evolution of hydrographic services.
India has set up a National Institute of Hydrography in Goa, which is accredited by the IHO. To date, the Institute has trained 800 persons from 41 countries, the PIB said.
Source: Emirates News Agency