India is looking at integrating more countries into coastal radar network IMAC.

What is IMAC?

• The Indian Navy’s IMAC located in Gurugram which was set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks is the nodal agency for maritime data fusion.
• It functions under the National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project.
• The NMDA project was launched in accordance with the vision of PM on SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
• The IMAC monitors movement of more than 120,000 ships a year passing through the Indian Ocean.
• The cargo carried by these ships accounts for 66 per cent of world crude oil, 50 per cent of container traffic and 33 per cent of bulk cargo.
• Thus, IMAC performs a very crucial role in collecting shipping information, analysing traffic patterns and sharing the inputs with the user agencies.

Mission SAGAR, unlike other missions, can create confusion with the name and its purpose. Make note of such special cases. UPSC can ask such questions as one liner MCQs.

Expanding IMAC

• It is meant to enable real-time monitoring of the high seas for threats as also expand India’s assistance for capacity building to Indian Ocean littoral states.
• Efforts are in advanced stages to set up coastal radar stations in Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka have already been integrated into the country’s coastal radar chain network.
• Similar plans are in the pipeline with Maldives and Myanmar and discussions are ongoing with Bangladesh and Thailand.

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now