Taking Kharg would give the US control over virtually all of Iran's oil exports and thus provide significant leverage, notes Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War. It would also put American troops within range of Iran's remaining missiles, drones, and artillery on a piece of real estate that is just eight square miles in size, and just 15 miles from the Iranian mainland.
Russia has launched its latest nuclear submarine to be armed with a 'Poseidon' nuclear drone, also known as 'doomsday missile' capable of 'wiping out' coastal nations, according to media reports.
Of the 22 crew members on board the ship, MV Wan Hai 503, 18 have abandoned the vessel and are being rescued by Indian Navy and Coast Guard assets, he said.
The maiden Africa India Key Maritime Engagement exercise will be held from April 13 to 18 off the coast of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Putin argued that European countries are putting forward demands related to the conflict that Russia cannot accept. He further accused Europe of obstructing initiatives by the United States and President Donald Trump to pursue a negotiated settlement.
It was "possibly a Pakistani fishing vessel", but the identity and other details will be ascertained once the boat is intercepted, the official said.
'Saudi-Pak defence pact is to anchor the defence and security of Saudi Arabia and not Pakistan, per se, with Islamabad being the junior partner.'
A merchant vessel, with around 20 Indian crew, was hit by a suspected drone about 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast in the Arabian Sea on Saturday but there was no report of any casualties in the incident, Indian military sources and a maritime security agency said.
Authorities are treating the sightings as a serious security and environmental matter, putting coastal villages on alert and intensifying patrolling on beaches.
Pakistani authorities have arrested 48 Indian fishermen and seized eight boats on charges of illegally fishing in the country's territorial waters, an official spokesman said on Friday. The Maritime Security Agency arrested the Indian fishermen late on Thursday night.
The National Security Strategy document should flag all major issues concerning security strategy and provide guidelines to concerned departments to work out suitable action plans. Since the global and regional geopolitical canvas is dynamic, the NSS document should be deliberated at length before formulation and should be reviewed periodically, recommends Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Indian Navy on Wednesday said its ships and aircraft remain 'mission deployed' for maintaining enhanced surveillance and undertaking maritime security operations.
China calls the shoal Huangyan Dao. China has already deployed some of its biggest CCG vessels in the area to assert its claims.
India's Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has stated that India is fully aware of China's increasing presence in the Indian Ocean Region, with 6-8 Chinese naval ships present at any given time. Admiral Tripathi emphasized that India knows "who goes where", suggesting strong maritime domain awareness, and has not allowed China to operate in areas of Indian interest. He also highlighted China's supply of maritime equipment to Pakistan, including submarines, which India is actively addressing to ensure its maritime security and trade.
Pakistan has arrested 17 Indian fishermen and confiscated their three boats for allegedly straying into the country's territorial waters.
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency on Saturday apprehended 18 fishermen from Gujarat along with their three boats near Jakhau port off the state coast, an office-bearer of a fishermen association claimed.
On the sixth anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, the government said the overall coastal and maritime security along the entire coast is 'much stronger than before' as several steps have been taken in this direction.
The Indian Navy has deployed task groups comprising frontline destroyers and frigates in the central and north Arabian Sea and augmented its force levels in the region to undertake maritime security operations in view of recent attacks on commercial vessels in key shipping lanes.
It is learnt that Russia is not sending any military platform to exercise and there is no clarity yet on whether it will depute any delegation for the event.
The Indian Coast Guard has evacuated a Chinese national from a Panama-flagged research vessel on the Arabian Sea after he suffered a heart attack, the maritime security agency said in a statement on Thursday.
The Indian fishermen will be presented before a judicial magistrate on Thursday and then sent to jail. The latest arrests come at a time when tensions between the two countries are escalating over various issues.
India will kickstart on Tuesday a two-day multi-agency military exercise covering the country's 7,516 km-long coastline and exclusive economic zone with the twin aim of checking the preparedness of various agencies to deal with any eventualities and bolster overall maritime security, officials said.
The era where nations thrived through rigid alignments is giving way to an age where the connective State defines power. For India, that era has arrived, points out Dr Nishakant Ojha.
Sea Vigil-22 will cover the country's 7,516 km-long coastline and exclusive economic zone with the twin aim of checking preparedness of various agencies to deal with any eventualities and bolster overall maritime security.
Indian Navy's elite marine commandos on Friday rescued 21 crew members including 15 Indians from a bulk carrier in the North Arabian Sea and sanitised it in a swift operation while responding to an attempted hijacking of the Liberian-flagged vessel by around five-six armed personnel.
She, however, refused to disclose the exact figure of the Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives, stating the details would be shared at a later date, Sun.mv news portal reported.
Indian Navy's mission deployed platforms responded swiftly to a maritime incident in the Arabian Sea involving the hijacking on board a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, a Navy spokesperson said.
The navy received information about the vessel, responded to the distress call and the Pakistan Maritime Information Centre requested a nearby merchant ship "MT KRUIBEKE" to provide necessary assistance to the stranded crew of the Indian vessel.
Pakistan's maritime security agency on Thursday arrested 58 Indian fishermen after they allegedly strayed into the country's territorial waters.
In the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday that the government has decided to set up a Federal Investigation Agency, strengthen air and maritime security and create four National Security Group hubs in various parts of the country.
The senior diplomat on Thursday visited the Indian Coast Guard Headquarters (West) to express gratitude to the maritime security agency for saving Chinese mariners over the past two years, an official statement said.
The principal director of plans, policy, and resources management for the Maldives National Defence Force, Colonel Ahmed Mujuthaba Mohamed said that discussions are underway for withdrawing Indian troops from the Maldives.
A joint operation by anti-narcotics agencies led to the seizure of about 700 kg of drugs and the arrest of eight Iranian nationals from Indian territorial waters off the Gujarat coast around Porbandar on Friday.
At least 29 Indian fishermen were on Saturday arrested by Pakistani authorities for allegedly entering the country's territorial waters. The fishermen were arrested by the Maritime Security Agency officials, who also confiscated their five boats during a routine patrol.
The Indian Coast Guard on Friday seized a Pakistani boat and arrested seven fishermen for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line near Jamnagar.
The overnight operation in the Arabian Sea was carried out in coordination with the Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad and the Narcotics Control Bureau, it said.
India on Monday summoned a senior diplomat of the Pakistan high commission and lodged a strong protest over the killing of an 'innocent' Indian fisherman by the Pakistani side, official sources said.
Pakistani authorities have arrested 11 Indian fishermen and seized their two boats for allegedly violating the country's maritime boundary, officials said on Sunday.
Pakistani authorities have arrested 26 Indian fishermen for allegedly violating the country's maritime boundary, an official spokesman said on Thursday. The fishermen were apprehended with six boats late Wednesday night for violating Pakistan's territorial waters, a spokesman from the Maritime Security Agency said.
Pakistani Marine Security Agency has arrested an Indian fisherman from the Arabian sea and released the nine others accompanying him, a senior official of the National Fish Forum said Wednesday.
