Cornered pirates find easy pickings in Indian waters

The Indian maritime boundary, hitherto immune to Somali pirate activity, is no longer safe. Brigands from the east African nation are getting perilously close to the Indian coast, putting at risk not only vessels which pass through the area but also trade with the West. The Indian Navy is now trying to ascertain whether the pirates receive support from any “force or group”.

Officials have launched a probe to ascertain if terror organisations such as the al-Qaeda — which has a known presence in Somalia — have any link with the pirates. The al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab insurgents are active in the Horn of Africa. Authorities attribute the sudden spurt in pirate activity along the Indian coast to an increased international vigil in the “original areas” of operation along the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden.

Navy sources say pirates are now seeking to avoid international naval patrols and so, are expanding their area of operations to the coasts of Mauritius, Seychelles and Maldives. “This is a disturbing trend, given the closeness of Lakshadweep islands to these nations,” a naval officer says. According to the navy, pirates have attacked vessels in or near the Indian waters at least 14 times between last October and November.

The navy is now rolling up its sleeves to check the menace. Last week, navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma did not mince words when he said: “There is no question of anybody messing in our waters or our area. It’s absolutely unacceptable to us.” It now plans larger deployment of forces along the coast. This was announced by defence minister A.K. Antony on Tuesday, shortly after Savina Caylin was hijacked.

Antony announced that the Indian Navy and the coast guard will enhance surveillance along the Kerala-Lakshadweep-Tamil Nadu shores. A defence official said it has also been decided to continue the joint anti-piracy Operation Island Watch. Much to India’s discomfiture, piracy incidents are taking place in the Eight Degree Channel that separates Lakshadweep’s Minicoy Island from the Maldives, and which witnesses maritime traffic of 30-40 ships per day.

Of the total 36 islands of Lakshadweep, only 10 are inhabited and this also increases the fear of terror groups such as the LeT or the al-Qaeda getting a foothold in some of the isolated islands, authorities claim.

The increasing pirate activity in the region will also hit shipping costs of India’s exports and imports. The rates are likely to go up from April 1. The “joint war risk committee” of insurance underwriters has identified the country’s western waters as unsafe. Anil Devli, the CEO of Indian National Shipowners’ Association (INSA), says the additional premium will jack up the freight rates of India’s international trade and ultimately goods will become costlier for consumers.

He says INSA has written to the shipping and commerce ministries and also apprised the Indian Navy of the development and sought tough measures to tackle the piracy menace. Additional risk premiums have to be paid when ships enter designated conflict areas. Devli says it is the huge ransom that pirates rake in for releasing hijacked ships that keeps their operations going. Since the ships, cargo and crew are all insured, the pirates end up getting huge amounts of cash.

If the ships are carrying crude oil or petroleum products, then the ransom demand is even higher. This is because there is a chance that the cargo will spill into the sea, which would require the shipping and insurance companies to pay huge amounts as damages.

There have already been 58 pirate attacks in 2011 with eight vessels being successfully hijacked and 169 hostages being taken by the pirates. “Governments the world over need to take a long-term initiative to curb the menace of piracy. Arresting a few won’t make much of a difference. All countries need to evolve a joint strategy to counter the menace,” National Union of Seafarers of India member Abdul Gani Serang says.