File photo of MV Seaman Guard
India fears unregulated 'floating armouries' - privately-owned ships loaded with weapons and guards that escort commercial cargo ships- could be used by terrorists to sail upto its western coast and launch an attack like 26/11.
166 people died in 2008 after ten young Pakistani men sailed upto Mumbai and unleashed the country's worst-ever terror strike.
Chief Navy Staff Admiral DK Joshi told reporters today, "Ships are hugging our coast line and that affects our picture and this is a major worry." The Admiral said the floating armouries were 'dangerous' and added that "over a period it has become a loose-knit structure and could be used for infiltration by terrorists."
In October, the Coast Guard detected a ship registered in America that had illegally entered Indian waters near Kochi in Kerala. On board, with a crew of 35 people that included 12 Indians, were 5000 rounds of ammunition and 31 assault rifles.
That ship was owned by an US-based firm that provided protection from pirates to commercial shipping firms. The crew is still in jail.
Indian officials point out that there has been no piracy attempt within 450 nautical miles of the Indian coast in the last two years.
However, High-Risk Areas, which denote pockets prone to piracy, are being incorrectly marked by the International Maritime Organization. So merchant ships and their armed escorts are sailing too close for India's comfort.
Admiral Joshi said India has asked for the high-risk zones to be re-drawn and wants the International Maritime Organisation to find a way to regulate ships that carry armed guards and weapons.
"When such ships close in to our coast, we need to know who owns the ship, who are the armed guards and how many and what weapons they have on board," he said.
The admiral clarified that India doesn't oppose armed escorts for merchant shipping. "They are most welcome to have armed guards. But we need to regulate them."