Staff Writer
GUNS and whistles, tugs and choppers, a brass band and the top brass – these were all part of the start of the fourth naval exercise which began in Simon’s Town yesterday between the navies of Brazil, India and South Africa.
The operation is part of an agreement signed in 2003 between the three countries to promote “South-South dialogue” where defence co-operation was identified as one of the areas of “constructive engagement”.
While a helicopter hovered overhead, the Indian naval ship Teg, a stealth frigate, docked in Simon’s Town.
Out in the bay the Brazilian corvette class Barroso fired its guns in a salute, which was returned by the SA Navy guns on the shore.
Both ships came alongside while the brass band – borrowed from the army as the naval band was in Pretoria – gave a rousing welcome on the quay.
Gangways were lowered and sailors whistled various officers on and off the ships.
At a briefing on board the SAS Spioenkop, Rear Admiral Thamsanqua Duze said the naval exercises were an extension of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) agreement, and called IBSAMAR.
The exercises took place every second year and this was the fourth time the three navies had worked together.
Duze said the naval exercises were platforms for sailors to sharpen their seamanship skills, drills and manoeuvres.
“The aim of the exercise is to provide collective training for Brazilian, Indian and South African navies, building mutual understanding between the navies,” Duze added.
Captain Anand Sardesai, commanding officer of Teg, said the objective of the exercises was to secure freedom of the high seas.
The manoeuvres gave each navy an understanding of how the other functioned, which enabled them to be able to work together when the need arose.
“Ultimately, we have to ensure the freedom of the merchant fleet,” he said.
Captain Michael Boucher, commanding officer of the SAS Spioenkop, said the navies were unable to say how they would use the exercise experience, as it was for the political leaders to decide where and how they were deployed.
“In these times of austerity it is very seldom we get an opportunity to practise like this, with submarines.
“It is important to keep skills sharp so that in a time of war we can act properly.
“It prepares us for any particular task,” Boucher said.
Sardesai said this year they had been tasked by the UN to focus on resolving conflict.
This was not about war, but about “asymmetrical situations” such as combating piracy, terrorism and illegal trafficking.
“All navies have a communal role and communal challenges.
“For instance in the third IBSAMAR we focused on HADR – humane assistance for disaster relief.
“If you have disasters, natural calamities like the tsunami in Indonesia, if the navies don’t know how to co-operate it would be totally chaotic,” Sardesai said.
In addition, he said, navies played an important constabulary role, “being a constable at sea, policing the seas”.