KARACHI: The sea phase of International Exercise Barracuda-XII was held in North Arabian Sea on Thursday.

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar witnessed the exercise as chief guest on board the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency ship ‘Kashmir’.

The air and surface assets of Pakistan Navy, PMSA, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and other national stakeholders participated in the exercise, on containment of oil spill, search and rescue operations and countering piracy.

The drills were also witnessed by 15 foreign observers and representatives of various national stakeholders.

The foreign observers applauded the demonstration of stakeholders’ skills, especially the PN and PMSA in fighting any disaster at sea.

Earlier, the opening brief of the exercise was held where the aims and objectives of Barracuda-XII were highlighted. Scholarly papers on response to oil spill and search and rescue at sea were presented by both local and foreign speakers.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2024