DAYS AFTER two merchant ships with Indian crew members came under drone attack, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday warned that India would “hunt down” the perpetrators, even from the “depths of the sea”, and take strict action against them.
Speaking at the commissioning of the stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal in Mumbai, Singh said the Indian government has taken the attacks on MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba “very seriously” and the Navy has increased its surveillance.
“Jinhone bhi isse anjam diya hain, usse hum sagar taal se bhi dhoond nikalege aur kathor karyavahi ki jayegi (Whoever has carried out the attacks, we will hunt them down even from the depths of the sea and take strict action against them),” he said.
“India’s growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred,” Singh said. “India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region touches greater heights. For this, together with our friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our Navy,” he said.
MV Chem Pluto, a chemical/ oil tanker with a crew of 21 Indians and a Vietnamese, was on its way to New Mangalore from Al Jubail (Saudi Arabia) when it came under attack on December 23, 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval, Gujarat, leading to an explosion and fire. No casualty was reported. The Liberian-flagged ship reached Mumbai on Monday.
A day after the attack, a Gabon-flagged commercial oil tanker, MV Sai Baba, on its way to India with 25 crew members, all of them Indians, also came under drone attack in the southern Red Sea, along with another Norwegian-flagged ship. There were no casualties reported.
In view of the recent attacks, the Navy on Monday announced the deployment of guided missile destroyers INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata “in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence”. It said long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are also regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness.
Underlining the need to continuously develop the Navy’s capabilities, Singh said: “With the Himalayas in the north and the hostile behavior of Pakistan in the west, most of India’s goods trade comes through sea, which makes it an island country from the ‘trade’ perspective.”
“INS Imphal is a symbol of India’s growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further. It will bolster our principle of ‘jalmev yasya, balmev tasya’ (one who controls the sea is all powerful) in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said, adding that the INS Imphal was a “shining example of aatmanirbharta” (self-reliance) in defence.
Calling it a “conglomeration” of the country’s different strengths, he said: “Brahmos Aerospace installed Brahmos missile on the ship. Torpedo tube launchers are of Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Rapid gun mount has been installed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), and medium range missiles by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). In addition, many start-ups and MSMEs are involved in its construction.”
The third of the four indigenous ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, INS Imphal has enhanced stealth features and is armed with sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) rocket launchers & torpedo launchers, ASW helicopters, radars, sonar and electronic warfare systems.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde were among those present on the occasion.
Rajnath Singh at the commissioning ceremony of the INS Imphal at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. (Photo: PIB) 
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