Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Ex Sea Vigil

Mains level: Holistic security of India's maritime domain

In a related development, the third edition of the ‘pan-India’ coastal defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-22’ is scheduled to be held on November 15 and 16.

Ex- Sea Vigil-22

The Exercise was conceptualised in 2018 to validate various measures that have been instituted towards enhancing maritime security since ‘26/11’.
The exercise aims to test its preparedness along the entire 7,516.6 km-long-coastline and exclusive economic zone of the country.
It aims to comprehensively and holistically validate the efficacy of the measures taken since 26/11.
It aims to simultaneously activate the coastal security mechanism across all 13 coastal States and Union Territories.
This involves the evaluation of critical areas and processes, including inter-agency coordination, information sharing and technical surveillance.
Multi agency audit and identification of gaps, shortfalls and incorporation of lessons learnt into Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are also the desired outcomes.

Role of Indian Navy

Post 26/11, the Navy was designated as the agency responsible for overall maritime security, including offshore and coastal security.
The Coast Guard was designated as the agency responsible for coastal security in territorial waters.
A multi-tiered patrol and surveillance mechanism with focus on technical surveillance and augmenting Maritime Domain Awareness through the coastal radar chain was adopted.
Progress has been made in real-time information sharing through the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network and improving intelligence and operational coordination.

The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which the Indian Navy conducts every two years.
Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum maritime security challenges.

Verification and monitoring of a large number of fishing vessels in India has been greatly eased by the creation of the online ReALCraft (Registration and Licensing of Fishing Craft).
The process of installing transponders on sub-20 metre boats commenced with a pilot project in Tamil Nadu for 5,000 vessels is underway.
To allay the concerns of fishermen, the transponders with GPS have been modified into a two-way communication system.
An Automatic Identification System (AIS) was made compulsory for all vessels above 20 metres after the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Trials were conducted in association with the ISRO on one of their communication satellites last year along the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.