Indian Defence Review

National Maritime Day

It was on 5th April 1919 that SS Loyalty belonging to the Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd an Indian owned company, set sail from Bombay to London while India was still under colonial rule. An Indian flag was unfurled in international waters for the first time in modern maritime history.

Every year since 1964, on 5th April, India observes National Marine Day to enhance public awareness of the importance of maritime domain and its crucial links to economy and growth of the nation. The 21st century is spoken of as the century of the seas due to globalization of trade and commerce, increasing interlinking of economies and the fact that bulk of trade takes place via maritime routes.

National Maritime Day is an apt occasion to reflect on the importance of maritime sector for India and way ahead.

India’s Maritime Legacy

Looking back at India’s maritime legacy, it is evident that her maritime links and legacy, are as old as Indian civilization itself. Archaeological evidence found in Mohenjo-Daro (3000-2500 BCE), indicates that even at the time of Indus Valley Civilisation, Indians had regular seafaring activities. The Rig Veda mentions sea voyages and has a prayer seeking blessings for safe passage across the seas, “Oh Lord, take us in a ship across the oceans for our well-being.” Incidentally motto of the modern Indian Navy ‘Sam No Varunah’ meaning ‘Oh Lord Varuna be tranquil’ is from Rig Veda.

Manu Smriti the ancient legal text has provided for maritime trade rules. Kautilya’s Arthashastra compiled over two millennia ago, indicates the post of a Chief Controller of Ports and aspects of port and customs duties. It also states that pirate ships and enemy boats violating territorial limits should be destroyed. Mauryan Empire had a Board of Shipping to look after shipping related activities. Thus, maritime issues were very much an integral part of thoughts in ancient India.

However, despite such a long maritime tradition, there was a clear decline in maritime thinking and related activities in India by the end of the 13th century.

The Mughals with their Central Asian tradition had no recognition of the importance of the sea and by early 16th century, command of the sea was lost by Indian rulers. This resulted in the European powers taking control of the oceanic waters around India and the eventual colonisation and loss of independence.

Historian Radhakumud Mookerji, in early 20th century, had analysed India’s maritime activities and linkages from historic times and had brought out that she had trade relations not only with the countries of Asia, but also with the whole of the then known world, including the countries under the dominion of the Roman Empire. Half a century later, Sardar KM Panikkar, a diplomat, historian and strategic thinker, who undoubtedly played a significant role in revival of maritime thinking in modern India had observed that as “A peninsula washed on its three sides by the Indian Ocean, she was from the earliest period of her history a country with dominant interest on the sea”.

It is pertinent to remember that dominance at sea, is not merely control by Naval forces but an entire shipping industry for trade and commerce. Mookerji in his analysis had brought out how Indian shipping and ship building was devastated under colonial rule. He urged that anyone interested in the progress of India should revive and restore on modern lines shipping industry as it is linked to India’s economic advancement.

K M Panikkar also expressed similar views and further analysed the need for all round development of India as a Naval power, to safeguard her commercial interests, industrial growth, expansion of trade and her very future. Panikkar had referred to the works of Admiral Mahan, on the conditions or elements needed for a nation to grow as a sea power in the modern era, viz geographical position, physical conformation, extent of territory, population, national character and governmental or national institutions.

While Panikkar had assessed it feasible for India to emerge as one, he was perceptive to observe the changes needed in Mahanian doctrines due to the emergence of Air Power and spoke of changes needed in maritime affairs and more importantly the need for a Naval Air Arm as against merely having an Air Force.

The significance of the maritime domain for India, was also well appreciated by Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In April 1955 at a Congress parliamentary party meeting, Nehru remarked as to “how people in this great bulk of the North of India are, what might be said, land minded. They are not so conscious of the sea; as the people on the sea coast and the South of India.”

On the aspect of security of India, Nehru expressed the opinion that colonisation of India came about because we lost at sea due to our lack of conception of sea power. He concluded that for a country like India, the sea is most important from the defence point of view and from the trade point of view.

Nehru had also opined on the types of ships for the Navy and the need for an aircraft carrier, as Naval operations during World War II in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and more specifically the entry of Japanese Navy into Indian waters, brought into focus importance of control of the seas for security of India.

Revival of Maritime Outlook in Modern India

The emergence of strategic thinkers like R K Mookerji and K M Panikkar, who highlighted the need for a maritime perspective to further India’s national interests and the appreciation of the importance of sea power for a nation like India by Prime Minister Nehru, resulted in the revival of maritime outlook in modern India. This vision led to the thrust for development of ports and associated infrastructure all along the coast, revival of mercantile marine and ship building.

The growth of Indian Navy from a virtually coastal force at the time of independence, into a major maritime force with an air arm and an aircraft carrier by 1961, is also reflective of the revival of a maritime outlook. Over the years, India was also able to develop a balanced Navy capable of operating well away from own waters and a Coast Guard to safeguard her Exclusive Economic Zone. Even as independent India was developing her economic, industrial and scientific capabilities, Indian Navy took necessary steps for indigenous construction of frigates in the 1960s.

Today India is into construction of major warships including aircraft carriers and submarines both conventional and nuclear and commercial ships and craft of various sizes.

Importance of Maritime Sector

Past few decades have seen liberalisation across the world, leading to closer cooperation between nations in manufacturing, trade and capital flows, resulting in enhanced economic interdependence. Development of newer technologies in communications and transportation has also enhanced trade, which would only increase further, as more developing nations try to leverage globalisation. Shipping today is one of the most important elements of the World Economy as it has a role in every cycle of the supply chain, from the supply of raw materials to the delivery of processed goods to the consumer. It is a very specific area of economic activity that presents the most international character in the world trade.

Global maritime trade accounts for 80% of the world trade by volume and 70% by value. Around 54,000 ships estimated at $450 billion ply the ocean routes. This increasing dependence also means a corresponding economic impact, when combined with linked activities of 6500 ports and terminals operating across the world generating nearly 14 million jobs. The total trade across the oceans considering imports and exports is estimated at $35,000 billion. Apart from transportation, the oceans are also a major source of food (fish), metals, minerals and energy resources.

As natural resources on land deplete and cheaper technologies emerge for extraction of resources from deep sea, importance of seas would grow further.

The economic impact of maritime sector or Blue Economy is equally significant. It has been defined by the World Bank as the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihood and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.”

While terms such as coastal economy and marine economy are used, in essence it is effective and optimal utilisation of natural marine resources. Coastal economy is more focused on activities on or around the coastal areas and is sum of all economic activities including employment and output in the region. Marine economy is a sub-set of the coastal economy and includes commercial seafood, marine transportation, coastal tourism and recreation, marine science and technology, marine-related construction and infrastructure.

While the importance of oceans is slowly emerging in the policies of the littoral countries, achieving the blue economy goals or sustainable management of marine resources, would require extensive cooperation between the littorals not only at governmental levels, but also among other stakeholders operating in the area including the local communities.

As in every activity in the modern world, maritime world is also impacted by advances in technology. Maritime world is not new to technological changes and appears set to absorb 4.0 technologies to bring greater innovation, automation, efficiency and transparency in the system. Technological innovations include advanced analytics, on-board sensors, communications technology, port-call optimization, blockchains, big data and autonomous ships and vehicles. They will redefine the ways in which ships, ports and their hinterland connections deliver cargo and services, thus saving time and cost for clearance and movement of cargo.

A key challenge will be to establish interoperability so that data can be exchanged seamlessly, while ensuring at the same time cybersecurity and the protection of sensitive data. Technological innovation is also raising the prospect of automated crewless vessels or “maritime autonomous surface ships” (MASS).

Maritime Security Challenges

On appreciating the importance of the maritime domain, possibly the first thought is of how to ensure maritime security. Threats in the maritime arena could emerge due to conflicts between nation states in the region or due to economic and political instability in littoral states affecting trade, shipping and other maritime activities.

It had become evident in the last few decades of the 20th century that there was a shift from traditional Naval confrontation on the high seas, to challenges in the littoral region and more so towards non-conventional maritime security challenges. Termed as LIMO (Low Intensity Maritime Operations), it would include maritime terrorism, piracy, drug and human trafficking, gun running, poaching or IUU (Illegal Unregulated and Unreported) fishing and illegal gathering of sensitive seismic and economic data. Natural disasters could also have a catastrophic impact on all maritime activities and the environment as such.

It would be apparent, that challenges to maritime security are varied and complex and often cutting across political boundaries, in turn calling for cooperation between nations to safeguard common maritime interests. Further, the seamless nature of maritime domain also enables a steady flow of threats and challenges from one area to another.

Hence need exists for a cooperative security approach to improve peace and security in the maritime domain.

Maritime Domain and 21st Century India

Bulk of India’s trade is through sea and amounts to 90 % of trade by volume and 70% by value. Value of Indian exports by sea is worth $298 billion and imports are worth $447 billion, which includes crude oil and LNG, to meet energy needs of the nation. As the Indian economy and industry grows further, Indian shipping, ports and supporting industries would continue to play a pivotal role in her economic growth. Another significant maritime issue for India was that towards the end of the 20th century, the world itself shifted focus from the earlier Euro Atlantic view to an Indo-Pacific one, making the region critically important to all major powers.

The Indo-Pacific region accounts for nearly 60% of the worlds GDP and 65% of population. Maritime trade and commerce transiting through the region including energy flows is equally significant. India’s location at the base of continental Asia, on top of the Indian Ocean close to the choke points of the ocean, gives it a vantage position in relation to the entire area from the African coast and West Asia, to South East Asia and beyond into the Pacific Ocean. It gives India an added stake in the security and stability of waters in the Indo-Pacific region more so as it is located close to the largest source of oil and natural gas in the world, i.e., the Gulf Nations as well as Central Asia.

21st century India clearly appreciates the importance of seas for her security and economic prosperity. This revival of interest in oceanic matters and a collaborative approach to maritime affairs is evident in the policy of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), enunciated by the Government of India and amplified at the Shangri La Dialogue in June 2018. In keeping with this vision and concept of working together with other nations in the maritime arena, India proposed at the East Asia Summit at Bangkok in November 2019, an Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), to manage, conserve, sustain, and secure the maritime domain.

Essentially, IPOI seeks to create partnerships with likeminded countries across the expanse from the Eastern shores of Africa to the Western Pacific Ocean, to ensure security and stability in the maritime domain through a non-treaty-based, cooperative and collaborative approach. IPOI covers a wide spectrum of significant issues through its seven pillars of Maritime Security, Maritime Ecology, Maritime Resources, Capacity Building and Resource Sharing, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation and Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport. Many nations including Australia, UK and Japan have come forward to join hands in the initiative.

India would need to build a favorable maritime environment and enhance net maritime security all along the Indo Pacific region in cooperation with Maritime forces from friendly nations. In this regard, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard have been regularly exercising with maritime forces of other nations to enhance inter-operability and confidence building through exercises such as Malabar, Varuna, Konkan, JIMEX, ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ and other bilateral and multilateral exercises. India has also been leveraging international cooperation in maritime arena by participating and conducting bilateral and multilateral dialogues and symposiums.

India’s vision in the years ahead in the maritime sector was further enunciated by PM Narendra Modi in his address at the inauguration of Maritime India Summit on 02 March 2021, where he said that India is very serious about growing in the maritime sector and emerging as a leading Blue Economy of the world. Focus areas include upgrading of current infrastructure and creation of next-generation infrastructure to improve efficiency. Work is also happening to boost connectivity by integrating ports with Coastal Economic Zones, Port-based Smart Cities and Industrial Parks.

All this is expected to anchor industrial investments and promote global manufacturing activity near ports. Maritime India Vision 2030 has been launched which outlines the priorities of the Government. It includes enhancing maritime safety, search and rescue capabilities, security and marine environment protection.

Use of renewable sources of energy in the maritime sectorthrough solar and wind-based power systems is expected to increase usage of renewable energy to more than 60% of total energy by 2030 across Indian ports.

Apart from upgrading the complete port infrastructure and support systems, India is also developing mega ports with world-class infrastructure at Vadhavan, Paradip and Deendayal Port in Kandla and operationalising 23 domestic waterways, which would make transportation more environment friendly. All this is planned for completion by 2030.

Plans are also underway for an Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid, for regional connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar to enhance regional trade and cooperation. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is focusing on improving maritime shipping and navigation, education and training for the mercantile marine, ship-building and ship-repair industry, ship-breaking, fishing vessels industry and the entire floating craft industry.

Conclusions

National Maritime Day is an apt occasion to remind ourselves that, India is a maritime nation with its prosperity and development intrinsically linked to the seas. So long as India used the oceans effectively, it was a land of prosperity and enormous wealth. After neglect of the seas from the 14th century, there was a revival of maritime outlook post-independence, which is being pursued with renewed vigour in the 21st century.

Blessed with a strategic location in the Indo Pacific, where the world is focused in the 21st century, many nations with interests in the region are looking at India as a partner to safeguard their interests. That India has taken up the challenge is evident from initiatives such as SAGAR, IPOI, and other bilateral and multilateral agreements, exercises, dialogues and symposiums. Both her maritime forces, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard have always played a significant role in enhancing India’s connect and reach among other maritime nations and should continue to do so to further expand Indian presence and visibility across Indo-Pacific.

India’s future thoughts in the maritime sector was clearly enunciated by PM Narendra Modi at Maritime India Summit 2021, when he said that India is very serious about growing in the maritime sector and emerging as a leading Blue Economy of the world.

It is also worth recalling Sardar KM Panikkar who was very clear that, “The future of India will undoubtedly be decided on the sea.”