India deploys 4 warships in Arabian sea to check pirates

New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) In wake of rise in incidents
of piracy off the coast of Lakshadweep, the Indian Navy and
Coast Guard have deployed at least four warships in the
Arabian Sea and pressed into service aircraft for surveillance
as part of efforts to check such incidents.
To deter the pirates from attempting any action in the
region near Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands, the two sea
guarding agencies have decided to maintain sustained presence
of four to five of their vessels in the Central Arabian Sea,
Navy officials said here.
The step comes soon after pirates captured
Bangladeshi merchant ship MV Jahan Moni on December 5 off the
coast of India's Lakshadweep Islands on its way to Europe with
25 crew members and 41,000 tonnes of nickel ore on board.
Officials said the measures have been taken after it
was observed that a piracy "hot spot" was emerging there with
rise in such incidents.
The arrangement of stationing of ships including Naval
frigates and Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) in the
region would continue for a month and will come up for review
after that period, they added.
The efforts to thwart piracy attempts in the Arabian
Sea are in addition to the Indian warship deployments close to
the Gulf of Aden to secure merchant vessels from the attacks
of Somalian pirates there.
The ships present in the Arabian Sea would also help
in securing the sealanes of communication connecting countries
such as Seychelles, Maldives and other islands in the
vicinity.
To enhance aerial surveillance in the region, the two
forces would also press their Dornier reconnaissance aircraft
into service.
The Indian Navy is one of the major international
players in attempts to curb piracy off the coast of Somalia
and has been deploying frigates and destroyers in turns to
prevent such incidents. PTI