‘Will continue maritime interventions’: Navy Chief pledges further action against piracy

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 23

On completing 100 days of ‘Operation Sankalp’ to counter piracy and aiding merchant ships under attack by Yemen-based Houthi rebels, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar today said “naval interventions” would continue in order to prevent such incidents.

Somali pirates handed over to mumbai police

• The 35 Somali pirates who were captured by the Navy recently were handed over to the Mumbai Police on Saturday after due formalities
• Visuals from the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, showed the pirates standing in a queue as the police assigned them chest numbers
• They will face legal action in accordance with Indian laws, specifically the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022

Addressing the media, Admiral Kumar said, “The myth of short and swift operations has been broken. We need sustained operations to ensure safety and stability in the oceans.”

100 days of ‘Operation Sankalp’

110 lives saved during op

15L tonne critical commodities on board merchant ships escorted

1,000 boarding operations carried out

3,000 kg narcotics seized

450 merchant vessels contacted

He said piracy had resurfaced as “an industry to gain from the disorder in the region”. Over these 100 days, the Navy responded to 18 incidents across the Gulf of Aden and adjoining areas, Arabian Sea and off the east coast of Somalia. In all, 5,000 personnel and 21 warships were deployed.

“At present, there are 10 warships in the entire region for anti-piracy, anti-missile and anti-drone operations under ‘Operation Sankalp’. The task is to ensure safety of merchant vessels carrying cargo. Being deployed at sea, Navy warships are the first responders to any attack,” he said.

Over 110 persons (including 45 Indians and 27 Pakistanis) were saved during the operation and 15 lakh tonne critical commodities on board merchant ships were escorted. The Navy carried out 1,000 boarding operations at sea. More than 3,000 kg narcotics was seized and over 450 merchant vessels were contacted, he said.

In the ongoing endeavour since December 2023, Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region of the Navy at Gurugram has enabled real-time information exchange in the Indian Ocean. In addition, coordinated missions with the IAF and national agencies were conducted. Notably, the air drop of armed commandos mid-sea from IAF’s C-17 plane was also carried out.

The Navy Chief noted that no Indian vessels were targeted by pirates, adding the Houthi rebels were attacking vessels linked to Israel. “None of our Indian vessels have been targeted. The Houthis have been attacking vessels with Israel links. They are also targeting ships with flags of Western countries like the UK and the US. We are getting involved because we have Indian crew on almost all these ships,” the Admiral said.

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