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New Delhi, May 10 (PTI): Three warships of the Indian Navy brought to India on Monday over 80 tonnes of liquid oxygen, around 4,300 oxygen cylinders and a large number of other medical supplies from abroad as the country continued to reel under a severe second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The medical supplies brought from Kuwait, Qatar and Singapore included 10,000 rapid antigen Covid-19 test kits, 54 oxygen concentrators, eight cryogenic oxygen tanks and 450 PPE (personal protective equipment) kits, Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.
The three warships are part of nine ships deployed by the Indian Navy under operation 'Samudra Setu II' for shipment of liquid medical oxygen and associated equipment from friendly foreign countries in the Persian Gulf and South East Asia.
Madhwal said INS Airavat arrived in Visakhapatnam from Singapore, carrying eight cryogenic tanks each having a capacity of 20 metric tonnes of oxygen, 3,898 oxygen cylinders and other supplies.
Another ship, INS Trikand, arrived in Mumbai, bringing 40 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen and some other supplies from Qatar.
A third ship, INS Kolkata arrived at New Mangalore transporting two oxygen-filled containers each having around 20 metric tonnes of the life-saving gas besides bringing 400 oxygen cylinders and 47 oxygen concentrators from Qatar and Kuwait.
The 40 tonnes of liquid oxygen brought to the Mumbai port from Qatar was produced by a French company.
"The 2nd phase of the solidarity mission is underway. Medical oxygen produced by French @airliquidegroup at its plants in the region is being shipped to India by @IndianNavy. The first 40 tons just arrived in #Mumbai," French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain tweeted.
France had delivered to India 28 tonnes of medical equipment as part of the country's first phase of the "solidarity mission" launched by President Emmanuel Macron to help New Delhi fight the pandemic.
The Indian Navy said it has stepped up its efforts as ships from all three naval commands in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Kochi were deployed to bring oxygen and other medical equipment under operation 'Samudra Setu II'.
Last year, the Indian Navy had launched Operation Samudra Setu as part of the Vande Bharat evacuation mission under which it brought back to India around 4,000 stranded Indians from Maldives, Sri Lanka and Iran.
As India battles a devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, countries around the world have sent medical supplies including oxygen-related equipment to help it tide over the situation.
The leading countries that have supplied assistance to India included the US, Russia, France, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Belgium, Romania, Luxembourg, Singapore, Portugal, Sweden, New Zealand, Kuwait and Mauritius.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said a shipment of 10 oxygen concentrators and 141 ventilators arrived in India from Spain.
He also tweeted that three aircraft loaded with medical equipment arrived from Egypt.
The shipments included 300 oxygen cylinders, 50 oxygen concentrators, 20 ventilators, 8000 vials of Remdesivir and other medical equipment, he added.