Sri Vijaya Puram, July 25: More than 300 personnel from multiple government departments and emergency response agencies participated in Oil Spill Mock Exercise–2026 at Corbyn’s Cove Beach, as the Andaman and Nicobar Administration conducted a coordinated drill to assess preparedness, inter-agency coordination and operational response to a simulated marine oil spill emergency.
The exercise was jointly organised by the District Administration, South Andaman, and the Directorate of Disaster Management, Andaman and Nicobar Administration, in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The objective was to evaluate response capability, coordination mechanisms and communication among agencies during an oil spill emergency in the coastal environment.
According to the Administration, the exercise brought together more than 300 participants, including government officials, personnel from the Armed Forces, the Indian Coast Guard, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), paramedics, Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS), Civil Defence Volunteers and representatives from stakeholder departments and agencies. Their coordinated participation contributed to the successful conduct of the exercise.
The mock drill simulated an oil spill along the coastline, requiring an integrated response from multiple departments. The exercise included activation of the Incident Response System (IRS), assessment of the incident, establishment of the Incident Command Post, deployment of response teams, shoreline protection measures, pollution containment operations, public safety management, environmental monitoring, medical preparedness, traffic regulation, communication support and resource mobilisation in line with the approved exercise scenario.
Priyanka Kumari, Additional District Magistrate, South Andaman, and Director (Disaster Management), functioned as the Incident Commander and coordinated the overall response, overseeing inter-departmental operations throughout the exercise.
Laxmikant Gajbhiye, Commandant, Indian Coast Guard, provided technical guidance and operational support to participating agencies during the exercise. Ram Karan Swami, Deputy Commandant, National Disaster Response Force, and Abhinav Srivastava, Commandant (JG), Indian Coast Guard, served as Observers for the mock exercise.
According to the Administration, the exercise helped validate existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), assess coordination among participating agencies, identify operational gaps and strengthen the capacity of stakeholder departments to respond effectively to marine pollution incidents. It also reinforced the need for coordinated action to protect the fragile coastal and marine ecosystem of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Additional District Magistrate and Director (Disaster Management) thanked participating departments, response agencies, volunteers and stakeholders for their cooperation in successfully conducting the exercise. The Administration reiterated its commitment to strengthening disaster preparedness through regular training programmes, mock exercises and capacity-building initiatives to ensure a swift, coordinated and effective response to emergencies.
