Recounting Cyclone Tauktae - Remembering Lost Lives

A commemorative event was held at Mumbai on 17 May 2022 under the aegis of ONGC in remembrance of the innocent and invaluable lives lost to Cyclone Tauktae in the offshore areas along the Maharashtra coast. It may be recalled that the West coast of India was hit by Cyclone Tauktae on 17 May 2021 causing damage Mumbai ODA. The Indian Navy launched an unprecedented SAR operation, pressing frontline warshhips into harm's way to rescue hundreds of lives at sea. Close cooperation with the Coast Guard, ONGC, DG Shipping, State Government agencies, oil handling companies and other stakeholders, resulted in evacuation of hundreds of survivors under hazardous sea conditions. Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh, Flag Officer Offshore Defence Advisory Group (FODAG) and Advisor to the GoI on Offshore Defence, paid homage and respect to personnel who lost their lives at sea while on duty. Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh exhorted all agencies to do their best to derive right lessons from the tragic incident, strengthen inter-agency coordination and refine SOPs to ensure and strengthen safety of life, property and assets at sea. In addition to listening to the personal accounts of survivors, the event also saw presentations being made by Captain Prashant Handu, Commanding Officer, INS Kolkata, on the SAR operations; Lieutenant Commander Krishna Gopal (retd) on cyclones; and Heads of Safety and Environment, ONGC and L&T, on other aspects of safety at sea. A two minute silence was observed on the occasion as a mark of respect to the lives lost on that fateful day.