India hands over 100 nautical charts to Kenya

A joint survey of the coastal area around the Lamu Archipelago near Kenya had been carried out by the Navies of the two countries

The charts were handed over by Indian High Commissioner to Kenya, Namgya Khampa, to Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Defence of Kenya on Wednesday | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

India has handed over to Kenya 100 nautical charts covering the general coastal area around the Lamu Archipelago (near Kenya’s northern coast), following a joint survey of the area by the Navies of the two countries.

The charts were handed over by Indian High Commissioner to Kenya, Namgya Khampa, to Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Defence of Kenya on Wednesday, the Indian High Commission in Kenya said in a statement on Thursday.

“The survey was carried out under the aegis of the National Hydrography Office that functions under the Indian Navy at a total cost of about US$ 1.8 Million,” the statement said. India has been undertaking surveys for Friendly Foreign Countries in the region to help update the vintage charts that are at times almost 100 years old, it stated.

The surveys for Kenya were undertaken at the request of Government of Kenya by deploying Indian Naval hydrographic ships.

India has also been providing capacity building assistance to the hydrographers from Kenya. On this, the statement said that over the past 6-7 years India has continued to offer basic to advanced hydrography courses under development assistance.

“Till date, a total of 14 Kenyan personnel have undergone courses at the National Institute of Hydrography, Goa under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scheme,” it added.

In the last few years, Indian Navy has significantly scaled up assistance to littoral states in the Indian Ocean Region in capacity building and capability enhancement.