New Delhi : The Indian Navy has improved its monitoring in the Gulf of Aden, Central Arabian Sea, and North Arabian Sea. The decision was made, according to the Ministry of Defence, in response to recent drone attacks on a ship that was getting closer to Indian EEZ as well as incidents of piracy.
The Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Central and North Arabian Sea, and international shipping lanes have seen a rise in maritime security incidents on merchant vessels over the past few weeks, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The recent drone attack on the MV Chem Pluto, about 220 nautical miles south-west of Porbandar, and the pirate incident on the MV Ruen, about 700 nautical miles off the Indian coast, the MoD official continued, show a shift in maritime incidents closer to the Indian EEZ.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the Indian Navy has increased force levels and significantly improved maritime surveillance operations in the Central and North Arabian Sea in response to these incidents.
Destroyers and frigates have been assigned to Task Groups that are responsible for conducting maritime security operations and supporting merchant vessels in the event of an emergency. With the use of RPAs and long-range maritime patrol aircraft, aerial surveillance has improved to include full maritime domain awareness. According to the official, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard are working closely together to ensure efficient EEZ surveillance.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the overall situation while working with other national maritime agencies. The Indian Navy is still dedicated to making sure that regional merchant shipping is safe.
On December 26, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had referred to the recent suspected drone attack on Merchant Vessel (MV) Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea and the attack on ‘MV Sai Baba’ in the Red Sea.
Considering the recent spate of attacks in Arabian sea, earlier Indian Navy had deployed Guided Missile Destroyers INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata (Guided Missile Destroyers) in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence.
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