As Gulf tensions reach Bab el-Mandeb, Indian Navy escorts cargo ships through troubled waters
As the tensions of the Persian Gulf spill over to the Bab El Mandeb, the Indian Navy is escorting cargo vessels in the troubled waters. Two naval ships the Talwar-Class guided missile frigate INS Trishul and the Aditya-class replenishment and repair ship INS Aditya. These two vessels have escorted the MT Compass, an Indian flagged ship headed to Mumbai and the MT Thalatta, a Liberian flagged ship that is heading towards the Suez canal. The navy has stated that it remains committed to securing the safe transit of vital energy cargo and protecting the nation’s maritime interests.The navy has operating anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since October 2008 and since then it has deployed a warship in the continuously. Besides escorting Indian flagged vessels, the navy has deployed ships of other countries have also been provided protection. Currently the INS Trishul is providing this presence, with INS Aditya providing logistics support. The Indian Navy also has access to Oman’s Duqm port.The navy has been patrolling the western Arabian Sea under Operation Sankalp (which means commitment), which was launched by in June 2019. This operation has steadily evolved into a cornerstone of India’s maritime security architecture. Conceived at a time when tensions in the Strait of Hormuz threatened global shipping, the mission was designed to ensure the safe passage of Indian-flagged vessels through one of the world’s most volatile waterways.The initiative has since expanded across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), it is executed through close coordination with multiple ministries, which include external affairs, shipping, petroleum and natural gas, and the directorate general of shipping. This collabrative inter-agency approach has allowed the navy to respond swiftly to any emerging crises, thus cementing India’s role as the preferred security partner in the wider region. This was best demonstrated in December 2023, when the navy’s elite special forces the MARCOs, in conjunction with the Indian Air Force, successfully resolved the hijacking of the merchant vessel MV Ruen from Somali pirates.Supporting these operations across the wide expanse of from the Strait of Malacca in the east to the Bab El Mandeb in the west is the Gurugram-based Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region. This centre has become a hub for maritime information exchange using inputs from various sensors, including satellites. By integrating surveillance inputs and enabling real-time coordination, the IFC-IOR has transformed India’s maritime domain awareness.
