Port Blair, Aug 21: A Chinese Data Buoy has been found off Andaman and Nicobar’s Kamorta Island.
A team of Indian Coast Guard and Andaman’s Police Marine Force (PMF) located this Chinese data buoy at remote Kamorta Island of Nicobar District and it is believed that the buoy has drifted to Kamorta Island.
As per INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information) Hyderabad, the data buoy was deployed near the equator and has drifted towards A & N Islands after breaking free from its moorings.
“On receipt of information regarding an adrift buoy, Indian Coast Guard undertook search operations alongwith PMF for locating the buoy. The yellow colour data buoy was located by search party off Dring Harbour on the north western side of Kamorta Island,” Commandant Dalip Singh, the Public Relations Officer of Andaman and Nicobar Command told Andaman Sheekha today.
Indian Coast Guard discovered that the buoy has landed on the beach and the top antenna is broken and separated.
“The approach to the location of the buoy is only from the sea ward side, as the area is thickly wooded and due to dense forest, it can’t be reached. Coast Guard is coordinating with NIOT Chennai to ascertain further details of the buoy which is expect to be of Chinese origin,” Commandant Singh said.
The PRO said that it was INCOIS which first picked up the signal and then Coast Guard was asked to locate the buoy.
Denying possibility of any foul play in this matter, the Coast Guard Commandant added that once the buoy is recovered INCOIS has to decide what it would do with it.
