Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday vowed to ferret out the perpetrators of the attacks on merchant navy ships MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba even from the "depths of the seas" and take tough action against them.
Speaking after the commissioning of stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal, Singh said India has intensified patrolling of the seas after the recent attacks on merchant navy ships.
"India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Indian government has taken the attacks on MV Chem Pluto and attack on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea very seriously. We will find those who executed the recent attacks on merchant navy ships even from the depths of the seas and take strict action against them. The perpetrators will soon be brought to justice and strict action will be taken against them," he said.
India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region and will ensure that maritime trade in this region touches greater heights, Singh said.
"For this, together with our friend countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our Navy," the minister added.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said the Indian Navy will take robust action including boarding and searching all suspicious vessels.
"We don't want these attacks to come any closer. The closest attack that has happened is about 220 miles from our coast (referring to the attack on MV Chem Pluto) which is outside our EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), but we want to ensure that nobody dares to come anywhere closer," Kumar said while talking to reporters.
Four destroyers, P-8I aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, helicopters and Coast Guard ships have been deployed to counter the threats of piracy and drone attacks, he said earlier at during the event.
MV Chem Pluto with 21 Indian crew members was struck by a drone about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday following which both the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard deployed a number of assets to provide assistance to the ship.
MV Sai Baba, a Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members, came under a drone attack in the southern Red Sea.
Replying to a reporter's question about the attack on the MV Chem Pluto, Kumar said the debris of the possible drone attack has been collected.
"I don't want to take any guesses. It (the drone attack) can be made from anywhere....We are analysing it to see what type of attack it is, if it is a drone then what was its type. We are trying to piece together the evidence. It will be a challenge to find where it was made, from where was it launched --- ship or shore," Kumar said.
"There are multiple questions to be answered in this. We can't say who has done this," he added.
It was a matter of concern that the number of attacks on merchant navy ships in the region has gone up, Kumar said.
Since November 19, there have been 30 drone and piracy attacks in the region which mean roughly one attack a day. Earlier there were barely four to five incidents a year, Kumar said.
About 50 percent of the 30 attacks have happened in the Red Sea and no attacks have taken place against Indian-flagged merchant vessels. There have been instances of attacks on vessels with flags of other countries and having some Indian crew, he said.
"The frequency of attacks has definitely gone up. We have decided to take very robust action to protect our merchant shipping. We have decided to take very effective action," Kumar said.
Elaborating on the anti-piracy operations of the Indian Navy, he said since 2008 India has been undertaking anti-piracy patrols and anti-armed robbery operations, and deployed ships even off the west coast of Africa.
Through Operation Sankalp in the north Arabian Sea, the Navy has been having continuous presence to ensure the safety of ships, he said.
"We have decided to bolster the numbers. We have two major platforms in the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman. In the central to north Arabian Sea, we have two more units deployed. We are going to augment that further," the Navy chief said.
"I have given clear instructions. We will spare no effort and put additional units and hope to bring this under control," Kumar added.
