With the rising threat of piracy, India has an opportunity to show it’s able to step up as a co-operative regional and potential global power.
In September 2008, a registered merchant vessel travelling from Hong Kong to Europe was attacked by pirates and taken to the Somali coast. On board were 22 crew members, 18 of them Indians.
This was by no means the first hijacking by Somali pirates and as events have proven since then, not the last attempt either. And yet, this incident is seen as a turning point in the international efforts to curb piracy on the high seas, especially in the Gulf of Aden area, since it was then that the Indian government was forced to shed its inhibitions and order its navy to join the anti-piracy fight.
It was important for India to launch the operation, given that the country’s trade is heavily dependent on sea traffic. According to Indian government figures, annual Indian imports through the Gulf of Aden route alone are valued at $50 billion while exports are pegged at $60 billion. Therefore, the safety and unhindered continuity of maritime trade through this route became a primary national concern, since it directly impacts India’s booming economy.
India’s shipping ministry estimates that about 24 Indian-flagged merchant ships travel the Gulf of Aden every month. Although this accounts for only 13 percent of India’s trade ( the remainder is carried in foreign ‘bottoms’), the crew of most foreign flagged vessels comprise Indian nationals, as India’s large seafaring community (approximately 100,000 in number) accounts for 6 percent of the world’s merchant mariners.
So since October 2008, an Indian warship has been consistently stationed in the Gulf of Aden, primarily assisting Indian-flagged merchant vessels to safely navigate the most vulnerable stretch in the internationally recognized seaway. But that’s not all. In addition to escorting Indian flagged ships, ships of other countries have also been provided protection by the Indian Navy.
Merchant ships are escorted along the entire length of the (490 nm long and 20 nm wide) Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) that has been recognized for use by all merchant vessels. According to the Indian Navy, 1603 ships (175 Indian flagged and 1428 foreign flagged from different countries) were escorted by Indian Naval ships in the Gulf of Aden between Oct 2008 and January 2011.
During this deployment for anti-piracy operations, the Indian Naval ships managed to prevent 31 piracy attempts on merchant vessels. But the Gulf of Aden is not the only area where the Indian Navy was deployed. Since 2009 it has also deployed ships and aircraft regularly for anti-piracy patrols in the EEZ of Maldives, Seychelles, and Mauritius, at the request of these governments.
Close on the heels of India’s decision came the path-breaking step by the PLA Navy to send its warships to the Gulf of Eden, signaling for many strategic thinkers the beginning of a new phase of India-China rivalry, this time in India’s backyard. But Indian Naval officers were quick to point out that Beijing was well within its rights to try and protect its own merchant vessels or merchant vessels carrying goods for China.
Photo Credit: Cassandra Thompson, US Navy
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Frank
“Somalians have been wronged but it is our turf and our responsibility to help Somalia”
Wait. Your turf ??? !!!
What have you been drinking?
Sanket Upadhyay
For every one success of Somali attack there are many who are deflected by Indian Navy. Somalia has agreed to work with India to combat piracy and we are going to remove this threat from its root i.e. Lack of jobs in somalia. India is aiding somalia to create more jobs especially in regions where piracy is rampant. We know that Somalians have been wronged by some external powers (lets not name them) but it is our turf and our responsibility to help Somalia get on its feet and become an proud country once again.
EAM
Thanks for the info. I was not aware that india is working with Somalis with reconstruction. If this means that India now has to fix up a problem that others created, India deserves gratitute and thanks. However, one still feels that something is not quite right if those who helped cause the problem are getting away scott free.
Mukul
This is certainly a good beginning but whether India will be able to sustain it until the problem of piracy shows considerable decline is the bigger question. India seems to be propping up the Somali TFG which is under severe existential threat from various terrorist groups, primarily, Al Shabaab. India can’t guarantee its longevity. Given the fluid political situation there, will India’s efforts have any immediate or long term impact? Does not it risk being ended up in a fruitless exercise altogether?
Mukul
Indian Navy has done a commendable job since its deployment in the anti-piracy operation but there is no denying that it needs to be stepped up. Enhanced cooperation with the Navies of other countries in the Gulf of Aden would certainly yield better outcome than India fighting this battle against the pirates alone will.
Rhanee
The pirate are not hungry people making a tough living. They live an easy life by attacking ships, and selling people’s life by asking ransoms. that’s not human at all. India, China, Japan, Korea and other countries have every right to protect their ships. I will do that if I have a ship. the pirates do not collect money for the poor people of Somali. They are a bunch of lazy gangsters looking for easy money. let’s work together to exterminate this kind of nasty thing as an occupation.
Aditya
So does “going Rambo” on Pirates count as a strategy,as far as iam concerned India has no Strategy on combating piracy, Special forces Operations can only be conducted in certain situations, India has adopted a rudderless policy of Imprisoning Pirates en mass by adopting Such aggressive strategies India has overplayed its hand and it will be tougher to Negotiate for the release of Indian seamen held hostage and Pirates will be Demanding a Prisoner Swap along with ransom ,but the International law regarding handling pirates is really Murky and western countries Prefer to routinely dump the Detained pirates at Neighbouring countries like Kenya or Nigeria instead of holding them in their Own countries, Somali Pirates previously Detested from Harming their Hostages as they were Valuable commodities and Viewed at as “Business” by Killing Somali pirates in ill concieved Operations South Koreans, Indians and US have made a mistake they will Reserve a “special treatment” for Hostages of these nationalities and this time it wont be Business it will be Revenge for them and it will lead to Strengthening the Unity between various Pirate factions.
EAM
“all the wars of aggression by the West in its history”. Please give examples.
I am not aware of any such wars. I think India was asked for troops to send to Iraq but refused. India does appear to be close to the US at the moment just as China and US were in the 70s and 80s against the USSR. Great powers always jump into bed with each other when it is convenient not just India. I am not sure this is a partcularly Indian characteristic.
However, if Indian actions here screw over a small country that has been screwed over by just about everyone else, that is unimpressive. China or India and China could instead help the Somalis build a navy (eg give them patrol boats) so that they can get back control of their EEZ and chase away the predetors who come there and take away their resources. We need a long term solution that brings back security to the sea lanes and helps the Somalis get back on their feet. Win win.
Johnny
@EAM Wouldn’t it better to stop the trawlers that drop radioactive materials in Somalian shores by using UN to force EU countries to stop using Italian mafias for cheap disposals (acc. to the link you provided). Arming Somalia directly may backfire instead we should focus on
#1- To stop piracy and simultaneously stop the illegal dumping and fishing.
#2- An UN drive to rebuild Somalian infra.
#3- Aid from UN for setting up manufacturing/processing units (not owned by outsiders) and perhaps relaxation of taxes on Somalian goods by neighbors.
Why UN aid? As any single party aid will be seen with extreme suspicion.
Just arming them with guns will only worsen the situation. A problem that took years to build up can’t be solved in days.
EAM
Johnny, I agree that the UN (and maybe the AU) are the right people to lead any international effort to help Somalis rebuild. I agree that arming the Somalis with ground weapons is not a good idea. I also agree with all your other suggestions. I do not think though that the giving them patrol boats could be a problem because they cannot be used for anything other than dealing with illegal fishing etc. They used to have these but they are now unusable.
As for dealing with the Mafia in Italy, the Italian state has been trying for decades so I not sure what can be done in Italy itself. The solution therefore appears to be to give Somalis themselves the capability to keep them out. It is not just the mafia. The illegal fishers come from Spain I think. Pressure on Spain may be useful but the Spanish illegal fisherman are notorious everwhere – they have been down here in the past (Australia) and try to pilfer local fish stocks. I think they have also in the past given the Brits and the Canadians trouble. Once again, the easiest solution may be to give the Somalis the capability to keep them (and others) away from their fish stocks. But I guess, whatever works. Otherwise, this problem will go on idefinitely regardless of whatever successes the Indians (and other navies) have in the short term.
Johnny
@EAM Indeed it is true. Right now the ‘pirates’ have the momentum but as the tide changes media will start to portray them more and more as victims which, in a sense, they actually are. So giving them patrol boats will quell the anger toward third parties. But can we trust their govt and how deep does the political ties of these ‘pirates’ are is a puzzler. Lets remember that in an country with negligible commerce; piracy forms an important stream of income for politicians.
Giving them patrol boats to combat piracy is an very good idea but perhaps it will be better if an alternate trade/mfg or source of income is established first as the piracy is governed, as you mentioned, by economic ruin and destruction of their fishing grounds.
Another dimension to keep in mind is some nations have been allegedly backing piracy. How should that be countered?
EAM
Johnny, all your points are well made. Yes – I agree that a multi-focused approach will work best, one that creates opportunities within Somalia without which no solutions seems likely to solve the problem. I was not aware that other powers back the “pirates” – does add a complication but suggests a multi-lateral solution, not one that just involves Somalia and India.
Frank
“China or India and China could instead help the Somalis build a navy”
Why China?
China is not an Indian Ocean country.
It costs more to build a navy for Somalia than buying fuel to patrol the Indian Ocean.
China will need an India Ocean fleet anyway. Indians cannot keep that ocean safe. USA is not shrinking its force.
EAM
Frank, there is a precedent. China has supplied East Timor with patrol boats and trained East Timorese to use them. With this success behind it, China appears well placed to help. Chinese shipping has also been attacked, I would imagine that China does have an interest in the issue.
Frank
East Timor is China’s friend and far neighbor.
We also give Cambodia patrol boats also.
Somali is far away from China. It is much closer to India than to China.
Yes, they attacked Chinese ships. They also attacked 30 some other nation’s ships not too far away from India coast.
Why don’t they pay for a Somali navy? We can sell the patrol boats to those nations with a discount.
With the Chinese navy escorting our ships, China is doing fine without having to give away our patrol boats.
Michael
“Indian government was forced to shed its inhibitions”…LOL India, which has 1/2 the worlds poor in its borders which they can’t seem to feed are the most active when it comes to UN peacekeeping (wink wink). And when one takes into consider that India has supported all the wars of aggression by the West in its history, either indirect or as most times direct, it’s a stretch or rather an outright lie to say that India was “forced to shed its inhibitions”.
Johnny
@Michael Nah, India (and Australia) didn’t back NATO’s invasion of Libya. China and Russia, despite having Veto, didn’t use it to stop it though they later expressed their ‘dissatisfaction’ over invasion. Also, I am pretty sure that India headed the Non-alignment movement i.e. not taking side of either US or USSR.
So it would be appreciated if you could read a bit before posting. Wikipedia is an good start.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_India#United_States_of_America
Mukul
Posting a comment just for the sake of posting it is a dangerous thing. And when it is a critical remark on the foreign policy of a sovereign nation it becomes even more dangerous. Issue being discussed here is that of piracy, but you went on to elaborate on an insignificant reference. Surprising!! Let me tell you, your sweeping argument, “India has supported all the wars of aggression by the West in its history,either indirect or as most times direct,” betrays your ignorance on the subject. Since its independence and more actively after the formation of NAM , which was the brainchild of our first PM Nehru, India’s foreign policy has been shaped along the lines of non-alignment. Could you please cite a specific example to substantiate your argument?
EAM
While India, China and other countries have a right to the free passage of the seas, is this really going to solve anything? Some of the Somalis pirates are undoubtedly gangsters but many Somalis see them as an informal coast guard. Piracy began after Europeans turned up in Somali waters after the collapse of central authority and began dumping toxic waste and illegally fishing so as to deplete the country’s fish stocks. Until the right thing is done by the Somalis, it is realistic to expect the Somalis to do the right thing by the rest of world? In any case, why is India (and China) expected to put right the problems created by European behaving unlawfully? Those who caused the problem should compensate the Somalis and fix this up. The EU preaches to the rest of the world but what they do themselves ……!!! And India should not act hastily without understanding the whole story.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-you-are-being-lied-to-about-pirates-1225817.html
Gauthaman
India from the beginning of the ancient sea route always did business and they will protect the routes, British navy used to petrol those times and they left and India has taken.PLA is there too protect their interest and not to fight India, it will be big loss for the human race and China will not attack India, they may taught a lesson long time ago at the loss of late prime minister did not plan with British and they would have saved the war with China.Nehru did is himself and did not think well about China, by gone , lets test India and China and there will not be any aggression, may be in money , time will tell, sleep dragon is looking at the Bear on the west and Japan on the east.Lets talk about how to live in peace and get along with all .