The Navy, which currently has six warships on patrol in the Arabian Sea for anti-piracy missions as well as counter-drone operations, is looking to enhance its presence and additional assets are likely to be deployed in coming days.
Sources said after ensuring safety of the merchant vessel that had reported boarding by five to six armed men, the Navy carried out boarding and search operations on suspicious vessels in the vicinity of Lila Norfolk. These were conducted to find and disable pirates who have been using hijacked Dhows to launch attacks on commercial ships.
The Navy had recently issued an alert that at least six Dhows have been hijacked in the past few weeks off the Somalia coast and may be used by pirates to attack merchant vessels. More such operations are expected in the coming days as the Navy is determined to rid the Arabian sea of pirate ‘mother ships’ that threaten commercial shipping and can lead to an increase in shipping and insurance rates for the region.
The Maritime Anti-Piracy Act (notified in February 2023) gives power to Indian warships to act against piracy. In the past, Indian warships conducting anti-piracy missions in international waters were operating in a grey zone and there was no clear cut legal authority to board and search suspected pirate vessels.
The Act gives the Navy authority to board and search any vessel that it suspects is being used by pirates. It essentially gives effect to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea relating to repression of piracy on the high seas. The quick response of the Navy to establish contact with Lila Norfolk and deploy a team of marine commandos to sanitise the vessel can be attributed to SOPs that have been established to act at the shortest possible time against such threats.Soon after the alert was received on Thursday, an executive authority under the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff was activated, which includes representatives from concerned departments including the Ministry of External Affairs. Once it was decided that intervention was needed – the presence of Indians onboard was a factor – the operator of the vessel was contacted for boarding operations.Final approvals to conduct the operation were granted by the Committee of Secretaries on Anti-Piracy and Hijacking at sea under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary that were obtained within minimal time.
