The Indian Navy has stepped up its activities off the dangerous Somali coast after sinking a hostile pirate ship.

"Navies are the best tools to showcase a nation's might and to send a message globally. The Indian Navy has been keen to take more responsibility in the Gulf of Aden to boost its credentials as a maritime force to reckon with in the region. The incident has clearly underscored the point that the Indian Navy has capability to project force beyond its border. We have to take a proactive role in security of the Gulf of Aden as it controls access to the Suez Canal and is a vital route for energy supply to India," an anonymous defence official told IANS.

The number of incidents in the area has drastically increased over recent months. Pirates, often armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, ply the rough waters in sleek speedboats equipped with satellite phones and advanced GPS equipment. A group of outlaws even managed to capture the Saudi Sirius Star, which was carrying a cargo of two million barrels worth more than $100m (£67m), off the coast of Kenya.

"The robust response by INS Tabar off the Gulf of Aden has reiterated the credibility of the Indian Navy in strategic water ways. This is a reflection of India's transborder military capability and its ability to maintain a naval presence to deal with any low intensity maritime challenges that may arise,"  said C. Uday Bhaskar, the former director of IDSA.

Indeed, New Delhi has made a salient effort to increase its role in various multinational naval campaigns. For example, the Indian Navy participated in evacuating 2,280 civilians during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. The Indian Navy was also the first to send relief supplies to Myanmar in May, which had suffered extensive casualties due to a devastating cyclone.

Nevertheless, India has steadfastly refused to join a formidable anti-terror naval task force led by the US and Britian because it does not fall under the auspices of the UN.

"Power projection today every nation is doing. India is now in a position to project its power and earn goodwill, though this event is not related to any entry into the Security Council yet, its part of a larger scheme of things," explained Lt.Gen (retd.) Raj Kadyan.

As IT Examiner previously reported, the Indian Navy has taken several significant steps to bolster its naval capabilities, including the acquistion of a Russian aicraft carrier and a 16,900-tonne Jalashwa transport ship. The 173-metre-long Landing Pontoon Dock (LPD), currrently the second largest Indian warship in service, is capable of transporting four landing craft, six helicopters and a battalion of 900 soldiers.

In addition, the Indian Navy recently deployed the Nagan, a low frequency towed array sonar system developed by the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory, in conjunction with Bharat Electronics, Larsen and Toubro, Uniflex Cables and Keltron. According to NPOL Director S Ananthanarayanan, the long-range sonar was "more effective in detecting and classifying the vessels being tracked at variable depths, as noise due to turbulence of own-ship propulsion will not corrupt the signals received from the target."

The MoD has also issued a tender for at least 16 advanced naval helicopters, and plans to form a contingent of advanced diesel submarines. The Indian Navy currently maintains a powerful underwater fleet composed of Russian Kilo and German Shishumar vessels. X

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