11 Submarines, 35 Warships Sent to Indian Ocean Amidst Escalating Activity

With little fanfare, the Indian Navy has quietly executed one of its most extensive deployments, with 11 submarines and 35 warships now patrolling the seas. This operation aims not only to safeguard the western seaboard for commercial trade but also to undertake specialised missions, notably in response to increasing Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean.

Ten warships have been dispatched to strategic locations such as the northern Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the eastern coast of Somalia to carry out anti-piracy operations and respond to incidents involving missiles and drones targeting vessels. Concurrently, additional vessels are stationed in the Bay of Bengal and the southern Indian Ocean. This deployment spans both the Eastern Fleet and the Western Fleet.

As the Indian Navy marks the completion of 100 days of its operations along the western seaboard, on 23 March, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar remarked, ‘Eleven submarines, 35 warships and five aircraft are operating at sea. Out of them, 10 ships are in the western seaboard where the deployment will continue till the area becomes safe for commercial traffic.’

Earlier this week, Admiral Kumar dedicated three days to visiting the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, where he conducted a comprehensive review of the ongoing operations. According to senior navy officials, this deployment likely represents one of the most extensive deployments of submarines to date.

This surge in activity among Indian warships and submarines coincides with the presence of 13 Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean, including six military ships and a satellite-tracking vessel. Typically, six to eight People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels are observed in the region concurrently, with submarines intermittently passing through.

Admiral Kumar emphasised that the operations conducted along the western seaboard aim to support commerce, particularly as freight insurance rates have surged by 35–40% in recent months. Additionally, 40–50% of shipping companies have opted to reroute their cargo via the Cape of Good Hope, bypassing the Gulf of Aden, thereby elevating transport costs.

Concerns have also been raised regarding the establishment of a High-Risk Area in the northern Arabian Sea, which is expected to further escalate shipping costs for commodities such as crude oil, fertiliser, and finished goods. "The additional expenses incurred will inevitably be transferred to consumers," he remarked.

Earlier today, INS Kolkata transported 35 Somali pirates to Mumbai, where they were transferred to the police for trial under the newly enacted Maritime Anti-Piracy Act of 2022. These maritime criminals were apprehended from MV Ruen during a bold 40-hour operation following their use of the hijacked bulk carrier as a mother vessel to carry out further attacks.