Comments
Considering that there have been no piracy incidents in Indian waters for the last nine months, India will make an appeal before the London-based Joint War Committee, a body of insurance underwriters, to exclude the country's exclusive economic zone from the war-zone notification.
At a joint press conference, Mr K. Mohandas, Shipping Secretary, and Dr S.B. Agnihothri, Director General of Shipping, said that there have been no piracy-related incidents over the last three quarters due to the sanitisation of the zone by the Navy. India is keen to see that its waters up to 78 degree East are excluded from the notification. If that is not possible, at least the economic zone should be out of the war zone, the Shipping Ministry officials said.
The officials were speaking to reporters after the inauguration of the new building complex of the Mercantile Marine Department in Kochi on Saturday. Though the next meeting is scheduled for May, India will not wait until then to make its representation before the London institution, they said.
Alternatives
According to Mr Mohandas, India was considering deploying guards from paramilitary forces for security duties on merchant ships. A decision on this issue is expected soon, as a majority of Indian flag vessels are now utilising the services of security agencies employing foreign nationals in piracy-hit waters. Dr Agnihotri said that India considered the option of moving its vessels through the Gulf of Aden in convoys.
The other alternative is to have armed guards on merchant ships. This is an inevitable, temporary facility on account of piracy-related incidents.
The officials said that the recent shooting incident involving the Italian merchant tanker Enrica Lexie will not make India re-consider its decision to allow armed guards on Indian merchant ships operating in dangerous waters.
Asked about the shooting, the Shipping Ministry officials said that it was not the right time for them to comment. India's stance on where exactly the shooting occurred will be made before the court of law, they said.
Comments
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.