NEW DELHI: The Navy has strengthened its antipiracy operations by deploying an offshore patrol vessel to Seychelles and Mauritius which will help in guarding the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the two island nations.
The Navy already has a warship on patrol in the Gulf of Aden where it has succeeded in thwarting many attempts by pirates to hijack merchant vessels.
Patrol vessel INS Savitri would carry a Chetak helicopter and marine commandos who will be in the region from November till January 2010.
It would be deployed along with ships and aircraft of Seychelles and Mauritius National Coast Guard.
India was requested by these countries to position a warship in the area to prevent pirates from operating in the region. Navy has gained considerable experience in dealing with pirates in the Gulf of Aden, where its warship has been patrolling since October 2008.
In the last one year, 174 attempts have been made by pirates to take over merchant ships passing through the Gulf of Aden. Several crew members of these ships have been taken captive and released after receiving ransom worth millions of dollars.
The officials said that due to increased presence of international forces in the Gulf of Aden, pirates are shifting base to east of Somalia in the Indian Ocean Region. They are increasing their activities in the Somalia Basin and the EEZ of Seychelles and Mauritius.
The attempts were made as far as 1900 km from the Somali coast making the region vulnerable. “The international trade through these waters has come under direct threat,” officials said. Since Indian Navy’s presence had proved to be effective in the Gulf of Aden, Seychelles and Mauritius requested it to deploy a warship and protect the sea lanes.
The Navy has foiled several attempts of Somalia to hijack ships and even fired upon the pirates.
