The Information Fusion Centre(IFC), established in 2018 to enhance maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), has evolved into a vital conduit for communication and assistance for distressed maritime ships. The maritime agency, located in Gurugram, played a crucial role in the backend as the hijacking incident of (Malta-flagged Merchant Vessel) MV Ruen and another one involving Chem Pluto– a vessel attacked en route to Mangalore on Saturday–unfolded by coordinating between the Navy and the ship owner.
The Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), which acts as an information-sharing hub, can now boast several success stories where it worked as a reliable partner.
Missile Strike Targets MV Chem Pluto
At approximately 06:07 coordinated universal time (UTC) on December 23, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received a report of an attack by an Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) on MV Chem Pluto, resulting in an explosion and fire. The incident occurred about 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval, India. The IFC-IOR became operational soon after the alert.
The MV Chem Pluto, which set sail from Saudi Arabia en route to Mangalore in India, encountered the incident and reportedly sustained damage. Despite no confirmed links to Israel, the ship may have assumed to have such connections, leading to the attack.
IFC-IOR officials engaged with the shipping company, obtaining crucial details and maintaining communication with the crew. They gathered essential information about the attack, following which it was presumed to be a missile strike.
Meanwhile, following the details and communication with IFC-IOR, the Indian Navy dispatched aircraft to assess the situation and confirm the safety of those on board. It was verified that the crew consisted of 21 Indians.
The Indian Coast Guard also took swift action after getting the necessary information from IFC-IOR and a Dornier was deployed to the location, along with instructions for ICGS Vikram to head in that direction.
The story doesn’t end here.
According to the latest updates, IFC-IOR officials remain in contact with the shipping company, crew, Indian Navy, and Indian Coast Guard. Aircraft from both the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard have reached the location and have confirmed the safety of the crew members.
Rescue of Injured Crew Member from MV Ruen
The MV Ruen incident is a paradigmatic example of how IFC-IOR assisted in rescuing an injured crew from a hijacked vessel. On December 14, perpetrators boarded and hijacked the vessel in the mid-Arabian Sea, 450 nautical miles east of the Socotra Islands, holding crew members hostage. These perpetrators hijacked a dhow operating off Somalia and used it to attack MV Ruen.
IFC-IOR monitored a MAYDAY alert raised by MV Ruen on the Mercury Net and initiated a response through its international and national connections.
In this incident, the Director of IFC-IOR, Captain Rohit Bajpai, personally coordinated not only with the Indian Navy but also communicated with the shipping company. Coordinates, along with several visible changes and patterns, were shared with relevant agencies.
Furthermore, the Indian Navy’s assistance was sought, diverting a maritime patrol aircraft conducting surveillance in the area and its warship on an anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden to locate and assist MV Ruen.
The chosen area for the attack by pirates was strategically distant from the embarkation/disembarkation point of private Marine Armed Security Personnel (PMASP) ex-floating armouries. The scene of the incident also had limited warship presence nearby. However, INS Kochi reached the vessel and began monitoring it from December 16 onwards.
The crew was safely evacuated to the citadel or a safe house onboard the MV and communication was established with a naval maritime patrol aircraft. However, one crew member was reportedly injured by a gunshot.
IFC-IOR once again served as a bridge, aiding the Indian Navy in establishing a negotiation channel with the pirates. Through joint efforts, the injured crew was successfully rescued before the vessel entered the territorial waters of Somalia.
25 Partner Nations with 12 ILOs
The centre has established working-level linkages with more than 25 partner countries and 43 multinational constructs. To enable better correlation and information cycles, and provide timely inputs, the centre also hosts International Liaison Officers (ILOS) from partner nations.
To date, the agency has hosted ILOs from 12 partner nations including–Australia, France, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. More ILOs from countries like Bangladesh are expected to join the team soon.
A combined team of Indian Naval personnel and ILO, duly assisted by civil MDA Analysts, produced various publications such as Weekly Maritime Security Update (WMSU), Monthly Maritime Security Update (MMSU), half-yearly overview and annual reports.
Additionally, monthly weather forecasts and weather warnings are also disseminated to the seafaring community.
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