India mounts sea-air patrols as unpredictable situation arises in Arabian Sea

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the targeting of commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea by Iranian proxies, the Indian Navy has deployed five advanced guided missile destroyers in order to minimise the threat to sea lanes of communication in the Arabian Sea.

According to a Hindustan Times report, these vessels have been strategically positioned to monitor the situation from the Red Sea to the western coast of India.

INS Kolkata is stationed near the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, INS Kochi south of Yemen’s Socotra Island, INS Mormugao in the western Arabian Sea, and INS Chennai in the central Arabian Sea. INS Visakhapatnam patrols the north Arabian Sea, having left the Indian coast two days ago after an Iranian loitering ammunition Shahed 136 struck the chemical tanker MV Chem Pluto 210 nautical miles off Dwarka in Gujarat, added the report.

The Indian Navy has deployed these vessels into the Arabian theatre independent of the US-led coalition in the Middle-East region, added the report.

The navy has also been carrying out surveillance using Boeing P8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft and an unarmed version of the Predator drone with a focus on vessels that could be used by Iranian proxies to target commercial ships.

On its part, the Indian Coast Guard has employed Dornier surveillance aircraft and offshore patrol vessels to uphold deterrence in the Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) along the western coast.

Simultaneously, the US aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, accompanied by its strike force, is operating in the Mediterranean Sea, while the Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier is positioned off the Gulf of Aden to counter the Houthi ballistic missile and drone threat in the Red Sea, added the Hindustan Times report.

Despite the success of the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian in intercepting Houthi missiles, countries like Spain, Italy, France, and Japan are operating under their command, with Chinese warships off the coast of Djibouti maintaining a cautious distance from the fallout of Israel’s conflict with Gaza.

While the Chinese have three warships deployed off Djibouti, they seek to avoid potential conflict points.

The drone strike on MV Chem Pluto prompted an expanded Indian vigilance. Besides deterring Iranian proxies from attacking commercial shipping, the Indian Navy has been taking action against black shipping and is safeguarding commercial vessels from Somali pirates near the Socotra Islands. MV Chem Pluto is currently undergoing repairs in Mumbai.

According to the report, the five top-of-the-line destroyers are currently being fuelled by MV Swarnmala, a 25,000-tonne oil tanker, which has been hired by the Indian Navy. The civilian tanker has a massive fuel and lubricant capacity as compared to Indian Navy’s tankers such as the INS Deepak.

Indian ships, deployed across the extended EEZ up to 200 nautical miles off the coastline, dominate the Arabian Sea. Boeing P8I multi-mission aircraft and long-endurance unarmed Predator drones constantly survey vessels in the sea up to the Gulf of Aden, identifying suspicious ships and dhows used for targeting commercial shipping by the Shia Houthis in Yemen, Shia Kaitab Hezbollah in Iraq, and Tehran.

The Iranian proxies, particularly the Shia Houthi militia, target vessels in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea due to Israel’s conflict with the Sunni Hamas group in Gaza.

The Iran-backed Shia Hezbollah group has also engaged in a conflict with Israel on its northern border. Despite the US Navy’s success in thwarting Houthi missile attacks, the Maersk mega-shipping company plans to resume operations through the Red Sea, rather than taking a roundabout route via the Cape of Good Hope.

The Suez Canal, through which nearly one trillion dollars worth of oil and goods trade passes annually, faces increased transportation costs and higher insurance premiums for commercial shipping in the event of any threat.

With inputs from agencies