The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

On January 5, 2024, Indian Navy’s Marine Commandos (MARCOS) boarded a hijacked Liberian-flagged commercial bulk carrier, 88,000 tonne MV Lila Norfolk, in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all on board. The Navy deployed a warship, Maritime Patrol Aircraft P-8I and long-range Predator MQ-9B drone in response to the hijacking of commercial vessel MV Lila Norfolk.

Indian Navy officials said frontline warship INS Chennai was diverted from her anti-piracy patrol and intercepted the hijacked vessel at 3:15 pm in the North Arabian Sea. The vessel was kept under continuous surveillance using Maritime Patrol Aircraft P-8I and Predator MQ-9B drones. After a high-voltage drama in the high seas, all 21 crew members including 15 Indian nationals from the hijacked vessel off Somalia coast were safely evacuated by the Indian Navy on January 5, 2024.

On January 5, 2024, Indian Navy’s Marine Commandos (MARCOS) boarded a hijacked commercial bulk carrier in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all on board

A post by the Indian Navy on X, which also shared a video of the moment when MARCOS on board the vessel were executing the operation, read: “#Indian Navy’s Swift Response to the Hijacking Attempt of MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea. All 21 crew (incl #15Indians) onboard safely evacuated from the citadel. Sanitisation by MARCOS has confirmed absence of the hijackers. The attempt of hijacking by the pirates was probably abandoned with the forceful warning by the #IndianNavy MPA of interception by Indian Naval warship. #INSChennai is in the vicinity of MV and rendering support to restore the power generation & propulsion, and commence her voyage to next port of call.”

On January 4, 2024 MV Lila Norfolk had sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) portal indicating that five to six unknown armed personnel boarded the vessel in the evening. UKMTO is a British military organisation that tracks movements of various vessels in strategic waterways. The hijacking incident came in backdrop of stepped up Houthi attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.

Any act of aggression with armed rebels and hijackers-on-high-seas is to be dealt with by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), which is their mandate under an Act of Parliament passed in 1977-78. In the instant case, MARCOS were deployed for swifter action. Indian combat operations against pirates are not new. The Indian Navy has been deployed continuously off Somalia since 2008 as piracy surged, bombarding and sinking pirate "mother-ships" ranging from just off India's coast to the Gulf of Aden, boarding boats by helicopter and capturing dozens of gunmen. Since October 2008, India has deployed some 110 vessels in the Gulf of Aden.

The Indian Navy has deployed over 10 warships with MARCOS commandos in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, showing its naval presence to deter piracy and drone strikes

On January 10, 2024, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Hari Kumar, while taking delivery of the first ‘Drishti 10 Starliner’ UAV at the Adani Aerospace Park, had said that in the last 40-42 days, 35 drone attacks took place on ships either owned or linked to Israel, mainly in the Red Sea, North Arabian Sea and Central Arabian Sea.

India has deployed over 10 warships with MARCOS commandos in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, showing its naval presence to deter piracy and drone strikes. The Indian Navy is conducting enhanced maritime security operations independently and has refrained from joining the US-led multinational 'Operation Prosperity Guardian' launched in the Red Sea in December 2023.

In recent years Beijing has negotiated infrastructure deals with countries around the Indian Ocean as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh and Djibouti, where it opened its first overseas military base in 2017, which has been raising concerns among Indian officials.

The Indian Navy is maintaining persistent presence in the Arabian Sea with warships deployed all over the region to enhance surveillance and deterrence against the twin threats from pirates and drone strikes

Indian Navy’s deployment in December 2023 of a far larger force in the Arabian Sea, including three guided-missile destroyers and P-8I reconnaissance aircraft, is to "maintain a deterrent presence" after a string of shipping attacks -- marks a rapid ramping up of forces. The response followed a December 23 drone attack on the MV Chem Pluto tanker 200 nautical miles (370 km) off the coast of India, which Washington blamed on Iran -- claims Tehran dubbed "worthless".

Now that the US and the UK have launched airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, the region is likely to witness more instability and resurgence of piracy. The United States and nine allies said in a joint statement that their aim was to stabilise the crucial shipping lanes, and "protect the free flow of commerce" there. Sri Lanka has joined the US-led force in the Red Sea because of its debt problem.

The Indian Navy is maintaining persistent presence in the Arabian Sea with warships deployed all over the region to enhance surveillance and deterrence against the twin threats from pirates and drone strikes. Regular intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions are being flown by P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft and unarmed MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones.

The Indian Navy is not part of 'Operation Prosperity Guardian' in the Red Sea, but there is continuous sharing of information and coordination with all navies of friendly foreign countries including the US, UK and France, to bolster overall maritime security and domain awareness.The Navy's Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) is taking feeds from multiple sources ranging from coastal radars to satellites to assess threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram has international liaison officers from over a dozen nations.