Coastguard launches three-pronged undersea search

NIOT scientists with black box detector join operations
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
After Indian Navy’s Hydrographic survey vessel INS Sandhayak picked up
weak signals from the Indian Coast Guard’s Dornier aircraft,a major
underwater search has been launched by Coastguard to
locate the aircraft.



The search is being carried out 16 nautical miles East from
Chidambaram, the place where the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Radar has
lost contact of the aircraft, according to Inspector General SP
Sharma, Commander, Indian Coast Guard (East).



Hopeful of positive results by Sunday morning, Sharma after  a five
tireless days trying to knock all possible doors to locate his
Coastguard crew, said that the search would be a three-pronged one.



This will involve Indian Navy’s Hydrographic survey vessel INS
Sandhayak, Indian Navy submarine INS Sindhudhwajj and a National
Institute of Ocean Technology scientists onboard Coast Guard Ship who
would be undertaking undersea search using remotely operated
underwater vehicle (ROV) along with black box detector.



The scientists have begun their search for the aircraft undersea..  “The ROV can go up to a depth of 2,000 metres and pick up the signals from the sensors of the black box of the aircraft,” Sharma said.

“This would be done in coordination with the Indian Navy’s Hydrographic Survey vessel as well as the submarine,” said Sharma.

He said all three -- INS Sandhayak INS Sindhudhwajj and the NIOT
scientists with their ROV -- would be carrying out searches independently. “The area would be demarcated so that they can continue the search independently,” he said.

But more hope is being pinned on the Indian Navy Submarine as it can do sub search operation and can pick up signals from Dornier’s Sonar Locating Beacon. The aircraft can transmit signals up to 30 days if
under water.



On Saturday, Coast Guard officials heaved a sigh of relief after INS Sandhayak detected the intermittent transmission of 37.5KHZ signal from sonar Locator Beacon of the missing
aircraft.



Separately, a multi-coloured sheen of oil in concentric circles was sighted. The sample has been sent to the laboratory for analysis. ”We are hopeful of some positive result, said Sharma