Nicosia, Nov 4 (IANS): An emergency drill involving military personnel from eight countries was carried out off the southern coast of Cyprus, Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides announced.

Military personnel participating in the drill on Tuesday, code-named "Nemesi 2021," came from Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, France, Israel, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States, Xinhua news agency reported.

Petrides explained that aim of the exercise, which is being coordinated by the Joint Search and Rescue Operation (MRCC) in the southern Cypriot city of Larnaca, was to improve procedures for dealing with emergency situations. These include anti-terrorism operations, search and rescue, and pollution of the marine environment, all within Cyprus' exclusive economic zone.

The military personnel were trained in dealing with a terrorist attack on a drilling platform, as well as in the search and rescue of people working on the platform.

"This will be the eighth consecutive Nemesis exercise, which is based primarily on the level of cooperation and coordination among the participants," Petrides added.

The drill is being conducted in several Cypriot off-shore fields, in which a handful of international energy companies have been licensed to carry out natural gas drilling. Diplomatic staff from the participating countries and officials from ExxonMobil, ENI and Total energy companies attended the launch of the exercise at JRCC's (Joint Rescue Coordination Center) base.