EXERCISE SEA VIGIL

Mumbai attacks

NEWDELHI: Early next year, India will conduct its first full-spectrum test of coastal security, an operation code-named Exercise Sea Vigil, which will test the response of nine different stakeholders and agencies as it ascertains India’s preparedness to deal with attacks such as the one by terrorists on several locations in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

The exercise will test response, reaction time and coordination between agencies to deal with incoming threats simultaneously across both the eastern and western seaboard, a senior official of the ministry of defence said on condition of anonymity.

A decade ago, on November 26, 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai; 166 people were killed and over 300 injured in the ensuing attacks that lasted three days and involved terrorists from the Lashkar-e-taiba taking over a luxury hotel.

Then, as it is now, the Achilles heel of India’s coastal security remains small fishing boats, especially those under 20 meters long. Of the 280,000 odd-fishing boats registered across states in India, 220,000 fall in this category.

The 10 Pakistan-based terrorists involved in the 26/11 attacks hijacked Kuber, a small fishing trawler in the high sea, killed the captain, and sailed into Mumbai unchallenged.

They then used inflatable rafts to land.

Since then, all merchant and fishing vessels that are above 20 meters long are fitted with “Automatic Identification System ” (AIS), a Global Positioning System-enabled friend or foe identification system that also carries essentials details of the ship such as its last port of call

and place of registration.

Efforts to get an AIS on smaller trawlers and boats haven’t worked out.

A satellite-based two-way communicating transponder developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is currently under trials for fitment on boats of smaller length but there is no clarity as to who will bear the ₹12,000-14,000 each cost of this.

WHAT WILL EXERCISE SEA VIGIL TEST?

“Any and every contingency which could crop up will be tested,” said a senior naval officer who didn’t want to be named.

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