New Delhi, Jan 3(India Today): A "rogue" boat entering into the Indian maritime boundary has brought the focus on coastal security network that is undergoing major upgradation after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
In the latest case where the Coast Guard patrol vessel managed to intercept a suspicious vessel, it was the specific intelligence input that helped in tracking the boat.
Security domain
One of the highlights of the new maritime security domain is to put in place the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) which was commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Gurgaon last year.
It is the single point agency interlinking the coast radar chain that was formed after the Mumbai attacks. The officials explained that IMAC works on filtering out regular fishing boats operating in the Indian waters from the rogue vessels.
The way it has been planned, IMAC will become the backbone of the national maritime domain awareness in the coming months. It has to be complemented with other measures like installing transponders on all the fishing boats operating in the Indian waters and identifying every fisherman who ventures out in the sea.
The IMAC links 20 naval and 31 Coast Guard station, including the joint operation centres. It has 51 nodes across the coastline and also in the Andaman and Nicobar island.
There are seven major nodes of maritime security in Delhi, Gandhinagar, Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and Port Blair. The Centre also has a comprehensive database of world registers of shipping for the analysis of traffic.
The officials said that the nerve centre of maritime security domain is a work in progress. But it has reached a stage where the hightechnology institution is all set to take off to become a potent tool in checking dangers from the sea.
The technological advancements are being backed by an increase in the coastal surveillance patrols by navy and the coast guards ships.
Crucial coast
The navy carries out an extensive defence of Gujarat exercise as part of this effort. It is a mobilisation of all the naval resources under western command. The Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard also take part in the exercise. The Gujarat coast is crucial for the country's economy as it has a number of key oil installations. The officials admit that maritime security continues to be a major challenge despite some urgent measures and procurement of latest assets.