The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Indian Navy executed a medical evacuation, transporting ailing Royal Australian Navy (RAN) officer, Lieutenant Buckingham Max Lindsay to South Andaman island on Tuesday.
The officer developed an acute abdominal pain and required immediate transport from Australian submarine HMAS Collins, while the vessel was transiting from Chennai to Australia.
A spokesperson of the Indian Navy tweeted that the ill officer was transferred to a naval hospital, INHS Dhanvantari at Port Blair after being evacuated from open sea.
Lt. Lindsay was later discharged on April 24 and was due to fly back to Australia, the spokesperson wrote.
SBS Punjabi has reached out to the Royal Australian Navy for a comment.
Based at Fleet Base West in Western Australia, HMAS Collins was the first of the six Collins class submarines to enter service in the Australian Navy.
The submarine is a formidable element in Australia's defence capability.
India-Australia Naval exercise
Australia and India have recently concluded the third instalment of their bilateral naval exercise, AUSINDEX 19 in the port city of Visakhapatnam.
The exercise, aimed at strengthening cooperation and interoperability between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy, witnessed the largest ever Australian defence force deployment for an exercise in Indian waters.
As part of the endeavour, more than 1,000 Australian personnel collaborated with their Indian counterparts on maritime manoeuvres and military training activities.
In a press release ahead of the exercise, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Ms Harinder Sidhu had said, "Australia clearly sees India in the top tier of our international relationships."
"With both countries having extensive maritime zones in the Indian Ocean and significant maritime capabilities, it makes sense for Australia and India to do more together to ensure the Indian Ocean remains free, open and inclusive,” added Ms Sidhu.
The Australian task group consisted of four ships including HMAS Collins, a number of embarked aircraft, and a Royal Australian Air Force P8-A Poseidon.
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