The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) hosted Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM (Retd.), National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC), and Rear Admiral Rahul Shankar, NM, Flag Officer, Offshore Defence Advisory Group (FODAG), at the Mercantile Marine Domain Awareness Centre (MMDAC) in Mumbai on July 17.
During the visit, the delegation was briefed by Capt. Harinder Singh, Nautical Surveyor and Deputy Director General (Technical), DGMA, and In-charge of MMDAC, along with Capt. Nitin Mukesh, Deputy Nautical Advisor-cum-Senior Deputy Director General (Technical), on the operations of the DG Communication Centre (DG Comm Centre) and India’s Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) System. The systems play a key role in enhancing maritime domain awareness, vessel monitoring, and emergency response capabilities.
The officials also witnessed a demonstration of the Crisis Response Management Module of the e-Navik Portal, a digital platform designed to facilitate the reporting, monitoring, and coordinated management of maritime emergencies. The demonstration highlighted DGMA’s emergency response framework and its close operational coordination with the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard for incident monitoring, information sharing, and maritime emergency response.
The visit included discussions on operational preparedness and collaborative response mechanisms in view of evolving maritime security developments in the Persian Gulf region. The interactions underscored the significance of integrated maritime domain awareness, real-time information sharing, and inter-agency coordination in strengthening India’s maritime safety, security, and resilience.