NEW DELHI: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv and Chetak helicopters are being pressed into service to rescue people and extricate skimmed oil from the Japanese owned cargo ship ‘MV Wakashio’.
It is said that the ship was on its way from China to Brazil but ran aground on the reef at Pointe d’Esny, Mauritius recently.
“Time and again the indigenous Dhruv helicopter has proven its capabilities. Our helicopters were extensively utilized for search and rescue operations in the past as well”, said Mr. R Madhavan, CMD, HAL.
Moreover, a total of 210 cargo operations and 270 winch operations were undertaken by HAL choppers towards salvage and rescue missions so far. With the help of Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guards and Mauritius police, HAL helicopters flew non-stop till all the survivors on board were safely rescued.
“The Chetak helicopters were used primarily for winching survivors. The Advanced Light Helicopter flew continuously to get the international salvage team on-board the ship to contain the spill and rescuing 600 persons from and to MV Wakasio.” Madhavan added.
A crack inside the hull of the ship expanded earlier this week leading to the ship splitting into two halves.
However, soon after this, Mauritius had declared a state of environmental emergency as the spill happened adjacent to two environmentally protected marine ecosystems and the Blue Bay Marine Park reserve with popular tourist attractions like beaches and mangrove plantations.
Dhruv is indigenously designed and developed by HAL for the military as well as civil applications. The utility version of the Dhruv helicopter can be used for VIP travel, commuter, search and rescue, emergency medical service, underslung load, disaster relief, and offshore operations.
Dhruv helicopter is suitable for increased payload at higher altitudes and is in operation with all the three Service wings. More than 240 helicopters are operational with the Indian Armed Forces clocking more than 2,70,000 flying hours.
(Aditya Hore)
