INCOIS deploys ‘WAMAN’ Wave Rider Buoy in Mauritius

The ‘WAMAN’ Wave Rider Buoy being symbolically handed over at a ceremony at the Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) partnered with the Indian High Commission for deployment of the ‘WAMAN’ Wave Rider Buoy to strengthen marine resource management and maritime safety in Mauritius.

A symbolic handing over ceremony was held on at the Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, in the presence of the Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, Dhanandjay Kawol; High Commissioner of India to Mauritius Anurag Srivastava, INCOIS Director T.M. Balakrishnan Nair and DG of Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration at the PMO Rezah Badal, on Thursday.

Dr Kawol said the buoy will enhance real-time monitoring of wave conditions, support maritime safety and port efficiency, and strengthen the management of coastal resources. It will also improve early warning and response mechanisms to extreme weather and ocean hazards.

Mr. Srivastava said the buoy has been donated by the Indian government as a gesture of bilateral cooperation and commitment to advancing ocean science for Mauritius and other coastal nations. The buoy will bolster climate resilience and help mitigate vulnerabilities related to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, etc.

He also highlighted various collaborative projects between the two countries in the maritime domain, reaffirming India’s unwavering support in safeguarding Mauritius’ vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which spans approximately 2.4 million square kilometres.

Dr. Nair and Dr. Badal highlighted the buoy’s pivotal role in providing critical data to support early warning systems for cyclones, storm surges, and tsunamis. The instrument can collect and transmit real-time, high-frequency oceanographic data such as wave height, direction, sea surface temperature, and ocean currents as vital for accurate forecasting, help in coastal planning, and the safe execution of marine operations, a press release stated on Friday.