India’s economic growth, international commerce, and energy stability are tied to the maritime domain, with over 90% of trade by volume and roughly 70% by value transported via sea routes. Maintaining maritime and coastal security is essential to safeguard sea lines of communication (SLOCs) and protect national assets.

Why Maritime Security is Vital for India’s Sea Trade

• Safeguarding Energy Supply Corridors: India imports roughly 85–88% of its crude oil requirements, with nearly 80% of hydrocarbon supplies transiting critical maritime chokepoints (such as the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Strait of Malacca). Disruptions in these straits present direct risks to domestic energy security.
• Supporting Export Competitiveness: Indian manufacturing, agricultural commodities, and pharmaceutical exports depend on secure shipping lanes across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Maritime instability increases insurance freight premiums and transit costs.
• Protecting the Blue Economy: India’s 2.37 million sq. km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) supports major offshore oil and gas assets (e.g., Mumbai High, KG Basin), deep-sea commercial fisheries, and emerging mineral exploration.
• Regional Connectivity: Realizing India’s maritime vision—including the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and MAHASAGAR doctrines—requires maintaining the Indian Ocean as an open and peaceful trading highway.

Key Maritime and Coastal Security Challenges

1. Maritime Security Challenges (High Seas & EEZ)

• Resurgence of Piracy and Armed Sea Robbery: Piracy and hijackings along the Western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea corridors disrupt commercial shipping traffic.
• Geopolitical Rivalries: Expanding naval footprints, regular submarine deployments, and dual-use commercial port infrastructure (the “String of Pearls” network) by foreign powers in the IOR affect the regional balance of power.
• Maritime Crimes and Trafficking: Transnational syndicates exploit maritime routes across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal for arms trafficking, narcotics smuggling, and undocumented migration.
• Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing: Foreign commercial distant-water fishing fleets operate in regional waters, depleting fisheries and violating international maritime conventions.

2. Coastal Security Challenges (Littoral & Nearshore)

• Infiltration and Coastal Terrorism: As demonstrated by the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, India’s vast 7,500 km coastline presents vulnerabilities to seaward infiltration.
• Monitoring Traditional Fishing Fleets: Hundreds of thousands of artisanal fishing boats operate along the coast, making universal biometric verification and real-time transponder tracking a logistically complex task.
• Inter-Agency Coordination Gaps: Multiple coastal jurisdictions—involving the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, State Marine Police, Customs, and Port Authorities—require ongoing operational coordination.
• Climate Vulnerabilities: Intense tropical cyclones, sea-level rise, and storm surges damage coastal radar installations and port infrastructure.

The Strategic Way Forward

• Enhancing Integrated Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA): Expand real-time tracking through the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) and the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), integrating satellite Automatic Identification System (AIS) data with radar networks.
• Strengthening the Coastal Security Framework: Complete the installation of satellite transponders on small fishing boats and expand the Coastal Radar Chain to provide gap-free nearshore tracking.
• Modernizing Naval and Coast Guard Capabilities: Expand domestic shipbuilding for Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), corvettes, anti-submarine helicopters, and maritime reconnaissance drones.
• Multilateral Maritime Cooperation: Deepen cooperation with regional partners through the Colombo Security Conclave, the Quad, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for joint maritime surveillance.
• Community Engagement (Sagar Prahari Bal): Train coastal fishing communities as the “eyes and ears” of coastal security, providing emergency communication devices and hotlines to report suspicious movements.

A secure maritime environment is essential for India’s foreign trade and energy supply lines. Strengthening coastal infrastructure and regional maritime cooperation helps protect national security while supporting India’s economic growth.