Indian Navy thwarts hijacking attempt in Arabian Sea

Indian Navy thwarts hijacking attempt in Arabian Sea

Subject: IR

Section: International Organisation

Context:

• Indian warship INS Chennai and its marine commandos thwarted the attempted hijack of a Liberia-flagged merchant vessel ‘Lila Norfolk’.

About Maritime Piracy

• As per the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), maritime piracy is when people on a private boat or ship commit crimes like kidnapping, violence, or robbery for personal gain.
• UNCLOS is an international treaty which was adopted and signed in 1982 in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
• It lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources.
• This happens on the open sea and is targeted at another vessel or its people and property.

Various Steps taken by India

• Operational steps
  • The Indian government has deployed naval ships with armed helicopters to patrol the piracy prone areas.
  • The Indian Navy commenced anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden from October 2008.
  • In recent years, task Groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident.
  • Also, aerial surveillance by long-range maritime patrol aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles has been enhanced to have a complete maritime domain awareness.
  • India participates in the various multilateral fora set up to combat piracy.
  • The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) is a government-to-government agreement that aims to enhance multilateral cooperation among 16 regional countries.
  • The Regional Maritime Security Initiative (RMSI) is a partnership between regional nations with varying capabilities and capacities.
• Institutions created by India
  • The Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) and Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) are institutions involved in maintaining maritime security.
  • Besides, Indian Navy also coordinates with Coast Guard to maintain enhanced surveillance within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
• Legislative steps
  • India enacted the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022 to give effect to arrest and prosecute pirates and strengthen the fight against piracy.
  • Also, the government’s SAGAR (Security and Growth For All in the Region) Doctrine provides a framework for maritime co-operation in the Indian Ocean region.

Djibouti Code of Conduct:

It is also known as the Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

It was adopted on 29th January 2009.

It was established under the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Under the code, the signatories agreed to co-operate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships.

Jeddah Amendment: An amendment to DCOC was made in 2017 to cover other illicit maritime activities, including human trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and to build national and regional capacity to address wider maritime security issues, as a basis for sustainable development of the maritime sector.

Signatories: It has been signed by 20 countries including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Seychelles, Somalia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Jordan, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. The member states are located in areas adjoining the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Africa and include island nations in the Indian Ocean.

Observers: India, Japan, Norway, the UK and the USA.