Red Sea Crisis: Tenacity of Indian Navy’s Anti-Piracy Operations

Dr. Ravella Bhanu Krishna Kiran writes about the Indian Navy's anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea Region. The Indian Navy has experience in anti-piracy operations.

Exploiting the outbreak triggered by the war between Israel and Hamas, and the threat of Houthi rebels targeting merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea region, there is an increase in piracy incidents by Somalian pirates.

Since 2018, activity from pirates has dropped until late 2023. Now the US and other European Union countries are busy with Operation Prosperity Guardian and Operation Aspides to tackle the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, the resurgence of piracy off the east coast of Africa has incited the Indian Navy to deploy in waters off Somalia to play a pivotal role in one of the crucial shipping lanes. With 20 years of experience in anti-piracy operations, competence, and commitment, the Indian Navy has taken responsibility to step in to endow with security for merchant shipping.

India is now playing an important role in the Red Sea, which it has patrolled since 2008 with the region's largest naval presence, ahead of the US, France and China. Since 2008, the Indian Navy has been undertaking antipiracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and the East coast of Africa and has made use of about 106 ships, successfully escorting 3,440 ships and over 25,000 seafarers.

After the attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman in June 2019, the Indian Navy commenced 'Operation Sankalp' in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to ensure the safe passage of Indian flag vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. Amidst the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea, India has not joined the US-led task force that is launching strikes against Houthi rebels. But in a strategic move to address the escalating Red Sea crisis and to counter piracy, the Indian Navy has deployed warships in key areas of interest including Djibouti, the Gulf of Aden, and in the North and Central Arabian Sea off the East Coast of Somalia.

Instead of combating the Houthis in the Red Sea, the Indian Navy has primarily chosen to tackle increased piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea by deploying 12 warships along with guided missile destroyers, long-range surveillance maritime aircrafts, the Dornier aircraft, Predator MQ9B drones and special commandos to monitor nearly four million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles) of commercial shipping in the Arabian Sea.

Task groups comprising destroyers INS Kolkata, INS Vishakhapatnam, INS Kochi, INS Chennai and INS Mormugao, and Talwar-class frigates and missile boats have been deployed. Two advanced vessels were deployed in the Gulf of Aden and the remaining 10 were in the Northern and Western Arabian Sea. At least four warships were armed with BrahMos land attack missiles and surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine warfare-capable helicopters, Sea Guardian drones, and P8I aircraft for surveillance.

The Indian Navy deployed in the region has monitored and conducted investigations on over 250 vessels and small boats in the last two months, boarding more than 40 and responded to a number of merchant ship attacks in the region since December 2023 in accordance with UNCLOS which provides universal jurisdiction on the high seas to seize pirate ships and arrest the persons and seize the property on board (Article 105) and right of visit of suspicious vessels engaged in piracy (Article 110). Also, the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act of 2022 of India gives effect to the UNCLOS relating to the suppression of piracy on high seas and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

In December 2023 merchant vessels Ruen; MV Chem Pluto; MV Sai Baba and in January 2024 MV Lila Norfolk; FV Iman; FV Al Naeemi; MV Genco Picardy; MV Marlin Launda and in March MSC Sky II, MV Abdullah, which were targeted by pirates rescued by the Indian ships deployed in the region. However, the most recent immense and intrepid operation carried out by the Indian Navy to rescue ex-MV Ruen a commercial ship from pirates off Somalia's coast displayed its outstanding defence capabilities.

The Indian Navy prevented Somali pirates from operating the ex-MV Ruen for acts of piracy on the high seas. The vessel, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates on December 14, 2023, was intercepted by INS Kolkata on March 15 and the Indian Navy on March 16 recaptured it, rescuing the 17 crew members and 37,800 tons of cargo of the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier MV Ruen.

In this operation, the Indian Navy displayed world-class capabilities by executing a precision airborne dropping of two Combat Rubberised Raiding Craft (CRRC) boats, along with Marine Commandos (MARCOS) by an IAF C-17 aircraft that flew around 2,600 kilometres from Indian shores to the northern Arabian Sea. Several experts highly praised this operation. John Bradford of the Council on Foreign Relations commended this operation and said: "Risk was minimised by using a coordinated force that includes the use of a warship, drones, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and marine commandos."

Interestingly, the effective anti-piracy operations of the Indian Navy in the southern Indian Ocean Region gave huge recognition and momentum to India's rising global stature.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev thanked India for successfully rescuing Bulgarians who were held hostage by pirates. Yogesh Joshi, an Indo-Pacific specialist noted that "India's capacity, especially its military and naval heft, has grown exponentially in recent decades, and the political commitment from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has given new impetus to the kind of forward-leaning posture Indian admirals had sought for decades."

Earlier, in February the British Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Key endorsed the fact that the Indian Navy is "putting a significant and highly capable task group in the (Red Sea & Indian Ocean) region."

From the strategic deployment of its Navy in defence of global commons to continual monitoring by maritime reconnaissance aircraft, quick response and air-dropping of the marine commandos, India has become an impressive and illustrative case to undertake the challenges of conflicts at sea.

Indian Navy's world-class defence abilities not only highlights how India is becoming a decisive factor in protecting the global commons but also sends a message to Beijing that New Delhi can deploy such a large force for the future balance of power in the Indian Ocean. The remarkable show of Indian naval task groups will furnish confidence to regional players and add to India's geopolitical influence to emerge as a major player to become a net security provider. It seems India already a regional power, takes hold of the Red Sea maritime security crisis to march at a vigorous pace to become an upcoming global power.