Jan 10, 2024. Posted by
Balkan
Periscope - Hellas
India will
increase the number of warships for anti-piracy operations in the Arabian Sea
by five times more than last year as the threats of attacks rise.
At least a
dozen warships will police the vast waters, senior Indian officials said,
asking not to be identified in order to discuss confidential information.
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The South
Asian nation increased deployment in the region from two to five warships in
December after a tanker carrying chemicals was hit by a projectile from an
unknown source near Indian waters. On Friday, India’s marine commandos boarded
a hijacked cargo carrier to rescue the vessel and its crew.
Each of
India’s warships will carry a detachment of marine commandos and have
helicopters on board, the people said. In addition, the warships will be backed
by US made MQ9 drones and long-range surveillance aircraft.
Vivek
Madhwal, a spokesman for India’s navy, declined to comment when contacted by
Bloomberg News.
The move to
have more warships in the Arabian Sea matches with India’s broader policy of
projecting itself as the primary security partner for nations in the region,
through which some 40 percent of the world’s oil is transported.
India
permanently deploys warships at five choke points in the Indian Ocean,
stretching from the Gulf of Aden in the west to the Malacca Strait in the east.
Its navy is carrying out more warship patrols than ever before in the Indian
Ocean as concerns grow about China’s increasing naval power.
New Delhi,
however, remains reluctant to officially join the US-led multinational naval
coalition of 20 nations operating in the Red Sea against the Yemeni Houthi
militants. The US says the group is backed by Iran, with whom India has deep
historical ties. Also, India has never joined any coalition unless it’s under
the aegis of the United Nations.
In
addition, New Delhi reasons since the US-led coalition is operating in the Red
Sea, strengthening anti-piracy operations in the Arabian Sea would only add to
the overall effort to secure commerce in the region, the people said.
India was
carefully evaluating all aspects of the unfolding situation in the region and
its “defense forces are taking necessary measures,” a spokesperson for the
country’s Ministry of External Affairs told reporters in response to a question
on whether it would join the US-led operation in December.
The attacks
on cargo vessels in the Red Sea is hindering India’s trade, with exports likely
to take about a $30 billion hit this fiscal year, according to some estimates.
Bloomberg
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