Integration of the operations of various maritime agencies for combating piracy and criminalization of seafarers gets underway
To foster maritime co-operation between seafaring communities, the Indian branch of the Nautical Institute has started a process of bringing together all related agencies in order make a concerted effort to eradicate piracy and criminalization of seafarers. In this regard it made its first ever attempt on 12th January 2012 to bring under one roof the Indian Navy, Coast Guards and seafaring organizations to help raise the awareness level and enhance exchange of information and thereby identify a common ground to work together to achieve this goal.
“The Nautical Institute has directed all its branches spread worldwide to display a vision and tenacity to bring together various groups under one roof,” stated Capt James Robinson SM, FNI (retd) Irish Navy, and President of the Nautical Institute. “Criminalization and piracy have become a big challenge for mariners. The concept of merchant shipping has brought together ships of a particular flag-state trading between totally different flag-states and manned by mariners of yet another flag-state. If something goes wrong it is the master of the vessel who becomes the scapegoat. I have seen while in Australia the ministers speaking of the master of the stricken ship Rena being a criminal even though he had not undergone a trial and proved to be guilty.”
He underscored the importance of the navy coming to the assistance of mariners as this would greatly reduce the pressures they work under.
The Chief of Staff HQWNC, Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan observed that though the merchant navy and the Indian Navy operate in the same waters, they along with the Coast Guards, the state police of the respective coastal territory and other agencies are strangers to each other.
He depicted a paradox the Navy faces. “In 1950 if the Indian Navy was asked to defend India’s international trade it was possible to do so. But today with only 8 per cent of the foreign trade being carried on Indian bottoms and the rest by foreign flag ships, I don’t know how to go about defending our trade.”
Vice Admiral Chauhan also viewed with concern the growing trend of carrying armed guards while navigating the piracy areas. There is a distinct possibility of the pirates soon responding with heavier and more powerful weapons.
Initiating the integration process, the Indian Navy, Coast Guards and representatives of the shipping industry each took turns to provide a glimpse into their individual role in the maritime field and gave an account of the types of ships and the operations undertaken by them at sea. While deliberating on coastal security (that rests both with the port authorities and the Indian Navy) issues relating to recent incidents took center stage.
The importance of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) was effectively brought out by the Navy. It declared that MDA focuses on the ability to monitor activities in such a manner that trends can be indentified thus facilitating necessary action.
The Coast Guard on its part highlighted the latest trends taking shape and its ability to conduct search and rescue operations at the same time indicated some of the limitations it was subjected to.
The day long deliberations culminated in three presentations on anti piracy operations, legal aspects related to anti-piracy operations and experience sharing by the master of a vessel which was hijacked.
At the end of the day the consensus was that the solution to piracy and criminalization did not remain with the maritime agencies alone but also with the respective governments.