• Source:JND
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The Indian Navy has increased surveillance and security in the north and central Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden following recent attacks on merchant vessels sailing through international shipping lanes. 

Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar issued directions to the officials to keep a close lookout for any suspicious activity in the Arabian Sea region. The Indian Navy in a statement said that groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and to assist merchant navy vessels in case of untoward incidents. 

The Navy also stated that it is closely working with the Coast Guard to check new security risks in the Indian Ocean. The directions from the Navy chief came in the wake of recent attacks on the merchant navy ships in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Central Arabia Sea. MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba were among the ships that came under attack. 

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The merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto, which had 21 Indian crew members on board, was struck by a drone about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on December 23.  However, it was later escorted by the Indian Coast Guard Ship Vikram to the Mumbai coast.

While a Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker carrying 25 Indian crew members reportedly came under attack in the northern Red Sea. The ship, carrying crude oil, was targeted close to the Indian coast while it was heading towards Mangaluru from a Saudi Arabian port. 

"Task Groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident. Aerial surveillance by long-range maritime patrol aircraft and RPAs has been enhanced to have complete maritime domain awareness. Towards effective surveillance of EEZ, Indian Navy is operating in close coordination with Indian Coast Guard," a navy official was quoted as saying by ANI. 

“The overall situation is being closely monitored by the Indian Navy in coordination with national maritime agencies. The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring the safety of merchant shipping in the region," the official added.