Editorial: Blow to maritime trade
The attacks on merchant ships come as a grim reminder that the impact of the war in West Asia could be felt far and wide
The fears of the Israel-Hamas war spilling over to other regions are coming true. The drone and missile attacks on merchant ships in the Arabian Sea and Red Sea, reportedly by the Iran-backed Houthi militants, come as a grim reminder that the impact of the war in West Asia could be felt far and wide. The global maritime trade has been hit hard. Two India-bound commercial vessels came under attack over the weekend, prompting a swift response from New Delhi. The Indian Navy has since deployed guided missile destroyers in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence and long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are also regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness. Thankfully, the crew is reported to be safe and the Indian Navy and Coast Guard are closely monitoring the situation. Though Tehran has denied any role, the forensic analysis of the debris recovered from the Merchant Vessel (MV) Chem Pluto, which was struck by a missile while sailing in the Arabian Sea on its way to New Mangalore Port, pointed towards the use of Iranian ammunition in the attack. MV Chem Pluto, a chemical/oil tanker, was carrying 21 Indian crew members while another commercial oil tanker MV Sai Baba, carrying 25 Indians, came under drone attack in the southern Red Sea. As war rages in Gaza, the situation in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea has become unstable with the targeting through drones and ballistic missiles of commercial vessels which are perceived to have even a remote connection to Israel.
The Houthi militants, who control vast swathes of territory in Yemen, have been using drones and missiles to target international vessels sailing through the Red Sea, calling it a response to Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip. Enhanced precision technology has enabled unmanned aerial vehicles to jam the communication systems of ships and even blow them up, rendering passage through oceans and seas a risky venture. The International Maritime Organisation must address the security concerns in the Red Sea and Black Sea and protect trade in these crucial shipping corridors. Trade disruptions in the Black Sea since February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, have upset the global economy and led to inflation, hurting the developing nations the most due to food and fuel shortages. Even as the modernisation of fleets is vital to counter the evolving tech-driven challenges, efforts to find diplomatic solutions to end the conflicts must also continue. On its part, India, being a security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region, must join hands with friendly countries to continue the efforts to ensure that maritime trade in this region is not disrupted. In this context, it was a welcome development that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke over the phone and agreed to work together for peace in the West Asia region.
