Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R Hari Kumar on Saturday asserted that his force displayed a high degree of professionalism and upheld the principles of international law and commitment to ensuring safe seas and maritime security in the region.

He said the Indian Navy ships deployed in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden will ensure the safety of seafarers.

“As part of the ongoing Operation Sankalp, Indian Navy ships are deployed in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden towards the safety of seafarers and mercantile trade passing through the region,” the navy chief told the media on the completion of 100 days of naval operations for anti-drone, anti-missile, and anti-piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea.

Vowing further naval interventions to secure distressed shipping assets on the high seas, he flagged concerns over the resurfacing of piracy as an ‘industry’ to gain from ‘disorder in the region’.

Admiral Kumar said the Navy will continue taking affirmative action to prevent such incidents, adding that ‘Operation Sankalp’, the naval operation to secure the crew of Bulgaria-flagged merchant vessel MV Ruen, has broken the myth of short and swift operations and stressed the need for sustained interventions to ensure the safety and stability of shipping assets in the oceans.

“Piracy has resurfaced as an industry to gain from the disorder in the region. We will take affirmative action to prevent that,” the Navy chief said.

“We have deployed 10 warships in the entire region for anti-piracy, anti-missile, and anti-drone operations under Operation Sankalp. The task is to ensure safety and stability for merchant vessels carrying cargo to reach shores safely. Because they are deployed there, they can respond to attacks or incidents as first responders,” he added.

The Navy chief noted no Indian vessels were targeted by pirates, adding that the Houthi rebels were targeting vessels linked to Israel.

“None of our Indian vessels have been targeted. The Houthis have been targeting vessels with linkages to Israel. They are also targeting ships with flags of Western countries like the UK and the US. We are getting involved because we have Indian crew on almost all these ships,” the Navy chief said.