New Delhi: Indian Navy warship INS Tarkash on Wednesday undertook a drill with its Marine Commandos to ensure safe passage of India's merchant vessels passing through the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman under Operation Sankalp. The exercise, aimed at protecting Indian Flagged Merchant Vessels and ensuring their safe passage in the Gulf region and through the Strait of Hormuz, was launched in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in June 2019.
The trigger for the deployment was a security incident involving an explosion onboard two oil tankers viz MV Front Altair and MV Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman on 13 June 19, in wake of increased tensions between Iran and the US. The attacks in the Gulf region highlighted the vulnerability of sea-borne trade transiting within constricted geographical locations.
India is dependent on imports for about 85% of its oil demand. In the financial year 2019-2020, around 62 per cent of India’s oil imports valued at approximately USD 66 billion came from the Gulf region. India’s exports and imports from the region for the same financial year stood at around USD 51 billion and USD 108.2 billion respectively. These constitute 8.1 per cent and 11.4 per cent of India’s total exports and imports, respectively. Despite the diversification of sources for the import of oil, Gulf countries are likely to continue as major suppliers of oil for India. Due to the prevailing security situation in the Persian Gulf, it is required to provide security to Indian Flagged Merchant Vessels transiting through the region by showing presence, escorting or providing close support to vessels as required. Further, about 8.5 million of the 34 million-strong Indian diaspora worldwide reside in Gulf countries.
READ: Indian Navy continues to maintain presence in Gulf region amid tensions
Based on the imperatives above, the Indian Navy had commenced Maritime Security Operations, codenamed Op Sankalp, in June 2019. Since then, an Indian Navy ship has been continuously deployed in the North West Arabian Sea (off R’as al Hadd), Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf from June 19. A total of 23 warships have been deployed to date for this exercise and on average, 16 Indian Flagged Merchant Vessels are being provided safe passage each day in the region. During these operations, Indian Navy Armed Security Teams (IN-AST) are being embarked onboard Indian Flagged Merchant Vessels transiting the area, based on their request.
