New Delhi: The Indian Navy has now deployed five frontline guided missile destroyers along with logistics tanker, Boeing P 8 I anti-submarine warfare aircraft and long endurance Sea Guardian drone to keep the sea lanes of communication between Bab el-Mandeb to Indian coast safe for merchant shipping and missile attack by Iranian proxies in the Middle-East.

It is understood that the Indian Navy has deployed INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, INS Chennai and INS Visakhapatnam into the Arabian theatre independent of the US led coalition in the Middle-East region. While INS Kolkata is on the mouth of Red Sea, INS Kochi is south of Yemen Socotra Island, INS Mormugao is in west Arabian sea with Chennai in Central Arabian sea.

INS Visakhapatnam was tasked to patrol the north Arabian sea and left the Indian coast two days ago after an Iranian loitering ammunition Shahed 136 hit chemical tanker MV Chem Pluto 210 nautical miles off Dwarka in Gujarat.

The five top of the line destroyers are being fueled by M V Swarnamala, a 25000 ton oil tanker, currently hired by the Indian Navy. The civilian tanker has a massive fuel and lubricant capacity as compared to the Indian Navy’s tankers.

While the Indian ships are dominating the Arabian Sea to prevent black shipping, piracy and deter missile attacks on commercial shipping by Iranian’s axis of resistance militia and terrorist groups, Boeing P 8 I multi-mission aircraft along with long endurance Sea Guardian drone are constantly surveying the vessels in Arabian Sea and up to Gulf of Aden to identify suspicious ships and dhows used for targeting the commercial shipping by the Shia Houthis in Yemen, Shia Kaitab Hezbollah in Iraq and by Tehran. The Iranian proxies, particularly the Houthis, are targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea against Israel’s war against Sunni Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. Iran backed Shia Hezbollah group has also opened a front with Israel on its northern border.

While the US led coalition is deterring the Iranian proxies from attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Indian effort is to help secure the Arabian Sea from any missile attacks on commercial shipping routes emanating from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf with trillion dollar worth of merchant and oil trade at risk from Iranian militia.

To add to the Indian Navy effort, the Coast Guard is also patrolling the EEZ on western coast with offshore patrol vessels and Dornier surveillance aircraft to ensure that there is no suspicious activity on the Indian coast line and Arabian Sea.

Source: Hindustan Times