11,098 km coastline, an Exclusive Economic Zone of over 2 million sq km, and over 95% of its trade by volume via sea, highlights the need for robust maritime security architecture
Maritime Security Challenges in India
The Indian ocean region is ‘New Hotbed’ of security threats – Fareed Zakaria
Maritime Terrorism- Eg- the 26/11 Mumbai attacks
Geopolitical Competition from China challenging India’s role as a “Net Security Provider.”
“dual-use” ports like Hambantota (Sri Lanka) and Gwadar (Pakistan)
Chinese spy ships in Indian Ocean (Tianwen I)
Piracy and Armed Robbery-
Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea
Houthi disruptions in the Red Sea
Transnational Organized Crime- The “Golden Crescent” and “Golden Triangle” routes converge in the IOR. (MHA)
Human Trafficking- Illegal migration routes across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing- Eg- Large foreign deep-sea trawlers encroaching on India’s.
Offshore Asset Vulnerability- Eg- Mumbai High oil rigs and the Great Nicobar Project from state and non-state sabotage.
Nuclearization of IOR due to AUKUS
Rising sea levels and the increasing frequency of “Super Cyclones” threaten critical coastal infrastructure. Eg- naval bases and nuclear plants.
IOR emerging as theater of great-power rivalry – Eg- US-UK base in Diego Garcia
Initiatives to Improve Maritime Security
Organisational Initiatives
Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) for unified regulatory oversight for port and ship security
National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC) to improve coordination between the Navy, Coast Guard, and various ministries.
Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) as a global hub for real-time information sharing on “White Shipping.”
Three-Tiered Security Architecture- *
Indian Navy- Deep-sea and International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
Indian Coast Guard (ICG)- Intermediate waters and EEZ (up to 200 nm).
Marine Police- Coastal waters (up to 12 nm).
Technical Initiatives
Coastal Surveillance Network (CSN) Phase-II- Completion of a chain of 46 static radar stations and AIS (Automatic Identification System).
Mandatory installation of NavIC-enabled Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) on all fishing vessels.
Induction of MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones for surveillance of sensitive chokepoints.
Utilization of ISRO’s GSAT-7 series (Rukmini) for “dark vessel” tracking.
Project 75I – for more indigenous scorpian class submarine
Procedural Initiatives
Indian Maritime Doctrine 2025- formally recognizes “No-War, No-Peace” as a distinct operational category, emphasizing readiness for grey-zone conflicts.
MAHASAGAR (2025)- fostering security partnerships with IOR littoral states.
Exercise Sea Vigil- to test the “SOPs” of over 15 different agencies.
Issuance of biometric ID cards to over 300,000 fishermen.
A proactive Maritime Domain Awareness is needed for resilient “Blue Economy” and “maritime surakshit Bharat”.
