INTRODUCTION:
Operations by Indian Navy have pushed back SOMALI PIRATES. A major part of the ocean infested by pirates, considered as High Risk Area earlier, is now considered safe.
Shipping industry is benefiting extensively due to the persistent operations by the Indian Navy.
In this video, Defense Updates is providing viewers details of one of the most significant contribution of the Indian Navy towards world peace.
BACKGROUND:
Somalia had descended into total lawlessness and political instability with the start of its civil war.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century.
Starting from the Gulf of Aden, piracy became rampant in Arabian Sea around 2007. As they increased their reach to the East Arabian Sea, the entire West coast including the Exclusive Economic Zone of India, an area of the sea which can only be used by India for economic reasons, was declared a high risk area.
Around the region there were more than 100 documented pirate attacks in 2008 alone, which resulted in more than 40 ships being hijacked.
WORKING:
Piracy is in high seas is simpler than many of us can imagine. All is needed is a gun, an aluminum ladder (for scaling other ships), and a motorboat. Then they just have to wait for commercial ships to pass by. Best of all, you don't have to worry about your targets shooting back. By international agreement, civilian vessels aren't allowed to carry guns because governments don't want armed ships moving from port to port.
LOSS:
Merchant ships had to sail hugging the Indian coast, which resulted longer travel distances, and more spending on fuel.
Also, insurance cost also was much more as the waters were considered unsafe. It is estimated that the global shipping industry were losing whopping Rs 23000crore a year due to this menace.
According to Reuters, of the 4,500 captured in this period, around 62 died. The causes of death included suicide and malnutrition, with 25 of the deaths attributed to murder.
OPERATIONS:
Indian Navy pressed into action, and about 52 ships were deployed to patrol the waters. On 21 November 2008, BBC News reported that the Indian Navy had received United Nations approval to enter Somali waters to combat piracy.
Here are some of the operations conducted by Indian Navy:
1. In November 2008, INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead.
2. In 2010 Dec, the pirates had hijacked the Mozambique-flagged Vega 5 and had been using it as a mother ship - a base from which they staged several attacks between east Africa and India. In March 2011, a patrol aircraft spotted the vessel on Friday while responding to reports of a pirate attack. When the Indian ship INS Kalpeni closed in last night, the pirates opened fire and tried to escape in the Vega 5. But their vessel caught fire when the Indian navy returned fire.
Pirates jumped into the sea from the burning vessel, but were captured by Indian sailors. All 13 crew from the fishing boat the pirates were attacking were also rescued nearly 700 miles off Kochi in southern India. The Indian navy captured 61 pirates who jumped into the Arabian Sea to flee.
3. In late March 2011, the Indian Navy seized 16 suspected pirates after a three-hour-long battle in the Arabian Sea. The navy also rescued 16 crew members of a hijacked Iranian ship west of the Lakshadweep Islands. The crew included 12 Iranians and four Pakistanis.
After 2012, with situation improving drastically, India sought for a review of the High Risk Area marking with it.
The International bodies agreed to India’s efforts to push back the High Risk Area (HRA) from 78 degrees East longitude to the 65 degrees East longitude.
The new boundaries came into effect on December 1, 2015.
CONCLUSION:
The operation against pirates though seems technically easy, but is not so. Pirates prowl about 2 million square miles of the ocean. That's a lot of water, and even with thousands of ships on the high seas, it's possible to sail for days without seeing another vessel.
Cleansing these waters from Pirates, show the capabilities of Indian Navy in carrying out search and engagement operations in high seas.
21 сен 2024
