New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was on Monday briefed by the Indian Navy about the futuristic steps to be taken at the Gurugram-based Information Management & Analysis Centre (IMAC) with regard to maritime intelligence in the Indian Ocean.

The IMAC is the nodal centre of the various agencies working in the field of maritime security to improve coastal surveillance. Rajnath Singh was in Gurugram to review the functioning of IMAC as well as the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) which is a collaborative construct working with partner agencies, countries and international agencies to enhance maritime security and safety.

The Defence Minister was briefed by Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh who told him about the steps to enhance the capabilities of the IMAC as well as the IFC-COR.

"The IMAC gathers information through various systems as well as through interaction with friendly countries about ship movements in the Indian Ocean as a coastal security measure to ensure no unknown or dubious vessel passes in the region.

"It analyses traffic patterns in the Indian Ocean and shares the inputs with user agencies. Its capabilities will be improved under the National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) project," said a senior Navy official.

The NMDA project was launched in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the concept of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

Officials also briefed Rajnath Singh about the functioning of the IFC-IOR, which is a collaborative initiative by the Indian Navy with partner nations and multi-national maritime agencies to enhance maritime domain awareness and maritime security.

Officials said the IMAC is likely to host international liaison officers from partner nations in the near future.