Core demand of the Question
- Why Maritime Security is Vital to Protect India’s Sea Trade
- Maritime Security Challenges
- Coastal Security Challenges
- Way Forward
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Introduction
India’s economy and strategic strength rely heavily on maritime trade, with over 90% of its commerce by volume carried through sea routes. Ensuring maritime security is crucial to safeguard trade, coastal infrastructure, and national interests from emerging threats.
Body
Why Maritime Security is Vital to Protect India’s Sea Trade
- Energy Security: Narrow straits like Malacca and Hormuz can disrupt supplies if threatened.
- Eg: Nearly 80% of crude oil imports pass through critical sea lanes like the Strait of Hormuz and Malacca.
- Economic Growth: Ports and shipping contribute significantly to GDP, employment, and export competitiveness.
- Trade Dependence: Keeping sea routes safe prevents delays and price spikes.
- Eg: ~70% of India’s trade by value moves via sea routes.
- Strategic Connectivity: Blue Economy and SAGAR vision rely on secure seas for trade and regional outreach.
Maritie Security Challenges
- Piracy and Sea Robbery: Threats in critical sea lanes like the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea disrupt trade.
- Geopolitical Competition: China’s naval expansion and “string of pearls” presence in the Indian Ocean challenge India’s maritime dominance.
- Smuggling and Trafficking at Sea: Narcotics, arms, and human trafficking routes exploit weak maritime surveillance.
Coastal Security Challenges
- Terrorism and Infiltration: Incidents like the 26/11 Mumbai attacks highlight porous coastal borders.
- Natural Disasters and Climate Change: Cyclones, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels are increasing vulnerability.
- Infrastructure and Coordination Gaps: Inadequate radar coverage, limited patrol capacity, and weak inter-agency coordination hamper coastal vigilance.
Way Forward
- Strengthen Naval and Coast Guard Capacity: Modernise fleets, UAV surveillance, and coastal radar chains.
- Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA): Need development of integrated systems like IMAC (Information Management and Analysis Centre) to track threats.
- Fix coastal policing: Fill vacancies, add boats/jetties, standard operating procedures, and 24×7 joint control rooms.
- Regional Cooperation: Strengthen IORA, QUAD, and SAGAR vision for collaborative maritime security.
- Engage communities: Providing distress devices, training and easy hotlines to fishermen, so that they can become “eyes and ears” at sea.
Conclusion
India’s maritime security is the anchor of its growth and global role. With the MAHASAGAR vision guiding future strategy, safe seas will transform challenges into opportunities, making India a resilient maritime power in the Indian Ocean Region.