New Delhi, 31 Dec (IANS): The Indian Navy has enhanced surveillance in North, Central Arabian sea and Gulf of Aden. The Ministry of Defence has said that this decision has been taken in the light of piracy incidents and a recent drone attack on a ship closer to Indian EEZ.
Ministry of Defence said that the last few weeks have witnessed increased maritime security incidents on merchant vessels transiting through international shipping lanes in Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Central and North Arabian Sea.
The piracy incident on MV Ruen approximately 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast and recent drone attack on MV Chem Pluto, approximately 220 nautical miles South West of Porbandar indicates a shift in maritime incidents closer to Indian EEZ, MoD official added.
The Ministry of Defence said that in response to these incidents, Indian Navy has substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in Central, North Arabian Sea and augmented force levels.
Task Groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident. Aerial surveillance by long-range maritime patrol aircraft and RPAs has been enhanced to have a complete maritime domain awareness. Towards effective surveillance of EEZ, Indian Navy is operating in close coordination with Coast Guard, official added.
Ministry of Defence said that the overall situation is being closely monitored by Indian Navy in coordination with national maritime agencies. Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring safety of merchant shipping in the region.
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.