India to maintain warships in Gulf area to aid merchant ships | India News
NEW DELHI: India will continue to maintain a naval presence in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, with the aim of protecting Indian-flagged merchant ships and tankers transiting the region.
“The Strait of Hormuz is a major bottleneck. The disruption of trade in this region can have a major impact on our economy. As part of Operation Sankalp, we will continue to deploy a frontline warship, either a destroyer or a frigate with a helicopter and a team of naval commandos, â€said a senior naval officer.
India launched Operation Sankalp in June 2019 after explosions aboard two foreign tankers in the Gulf of Oman amid tensions between Iran and the United States.
Since the attacks underlined the vulnerability of maritime trade transiting through restricted geographical areas, the Navy then sent the destroyer INS Chennai and the patrol vessel INS Sunayna to the Gulf of Oman. “The Indian Navy was the first to deploy ships to protect the passage of merchant ships in the region,” the officer added.
Two years later, the continued forward naval deployment continues. No less than 23 rotating Indian warships have been deployed to the Gulf region, with an average of 16 Indian-flagged merchant and oil tankers enjoying safe passage daily.
“The presence of an Indian warship has a deterrent effect on any hostile threat and reassures our merchant ships. If requested, we also embark a Marine Commando Security Team on a ship for a period of time, â€the officer said. “After all, around 60% of India’s oil imports come from this region,†he added.
Operation Sankalp is now part of the “mission-based deployments (MBD)†launched by the Navy in 2017 in the Indian Ocean region. Under MBD, warships are deployed to deal with everything from conventional threats and maritime terrorism to piracy and disaster relief.
“The Strait of Hormuz is a major bottleneck. The disruption of trade in this region can have a major impact on our economy. As part of Operation Sankalp, we will continue to deploy a frontline warship, either a destroyer or a frigate with a helicopter and a team of naval commandos, â€said a senior naval officer.
India launched Operation Sankalp in June 2019 after explosions aboard two foreign tankers in the Gulf of Oman amid tensions between Iran and the United States.
Since the attacks underlined the vulnerability of maritime trade transiting through restricted geographical areas, the Navy then sent the destroyer INS Chennai and the patrol vessel INS Sunayna to the Gulf of Oman. “The Indian Navy was the first to deploy ships to protect the passage of merchant ships in the region,” the officer added.
Two years later, the continued forward naval deployment continues. No less than 23 rotating Indian warships have been deployed to the Gulf region, with an average of 16 Indian-flagged merchant and oil tankers enjoying safe passage daily.
“The presence of an Indian warship has a deterrent effect on any hostile threat and reassures our merchant ships. If requested, we also embark a Marine Commando Security Team on a ship for a period of time, â€the officer said. “After all, around 60% of India’s oil imports come from this region,†he added.
Operation Sankalp is now part of the “mission-based deployments (MBD)†launched by the Navy in 2017 in the Indian Ocean region. Under MBD, warships are deployed to deal with everything from conventional threats and maritime terrorism to piracy and disaster relief.