Deep waters beckon Coast Guard

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), which celebrates its 36th anniversary on February 1, 2013, is still trying to fulfil its originally mandated tasks. It was founded with the intention of creating a low-cost seagoing paramilitary force so as to police the vast 2.01 million square kilometers of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which came into force under the Maritime Zones of India Act of 1976.

This EEZ was created after the 1972 United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS), which awarded EEZs to all states with coastlines.
The interim ICG was founded on February 1, 1977, when two small frigates, five small patrol boats and a few hundred Indian Navy officers and sailors were “transferred” to the newly formed service. The ICG was formally created by an act of Parliament on August 19, 1978.
The first few Chetak helicopters were inducted in 1982, followed by a few fixed-wing F27 aircraft. This fledgling force was initially tasked with numerous responsibilities, which included enforcement of maritime laws in the EEZ, safety of life and property at sea, collection of scientific data, protection of fishermen, assistance to fishermen in distress at sea, protection and preservation of marine environment, prevention and control of marine pollution, assistance to customs and other authorities in anti-smuggling operations, safety and protection of artificial islands and offshore terminals. In addition, the ICG forms part of the Navy during wartime.
Despite the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts (in which Dawood Ibrahim’s gang had brought the explosives by sea from Pakistan), the ICG did not get the wherewithal it needed to secure India’s maritime zone and carry out other tasks. In 2005, force levels comprised 50-odd ageing vessels, six hovercraft and 44 aviation units (helicopters and aircraft), 22 shore stations, manned by a paltry 6,500 sailors and 700 officers.
The same year, with an improving economy, the government sanctioned additional indigenous procurement of 35 vessels, mostly small patrol boats. Other important requests like coastal radar stations and 87 coastal marine police stations with about 200 small patrol boats were still awaiting approval.
Clearly, our coastal security system had glaring gaps, which were exploited by the Pakistani terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008. To put things in perspective, Japan and South Korea, by contrast, have over 500 and 260 vessels respectively, and over 100 aircraft-cum-helicopters each in their Coast Guards while the US Coast Guard has about 2,000 vessels.
India’s ICG needs over 260 vessels and 160 aircraft-cum-helicopters, along with a coastal radar chain, over 200 coastal marine police stations and 700 small marine police boats for patrolling close to coast and inside harbours. Fortunately, the ICG personnel — officers and sailors — undergo training with the Indian Navy and the ICG ships and aircraft have been exercising regularly with the Indian Navy and also with the Coast Guards of the US, Japan, South Korea, the Maldives etc. This has ensured that the ICG maintains a very high level of professionalism which meets international standards.
Post-26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the government, in February 2009, made the Indian Navy in charge of coastal security, with the ICG responsible to the Navy for security within the 12 nautical miles of territorial water limits, and also for coordination with other stakeholders like Marine Police, customs, ports, fishermen, ONGC etc. Intensive coastal patrol by ships and aircraft was made more effective by coordinating the efforts of all seagoing services and also by involving the fishermen in reporting anything suspicious.
The coastal radar chain, phase 1, comprising radar and optronic sensors (36 on the mainland, six on Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands and four on Andaman and Nicobar Islands) will be ready by March 2013. Also, about 85 marine police stations (having over 200 small boats), linked by communications to ICG coastal stations have been set up. Phase 2 of the coastal radar system will have additional 38 radars, and integration of phases 1 and 2 is planned so that continuous real time data is available.
All these coastal security forces are linked to joint maritime operations rooms, under the Navy at Mumbai, Kochi, Visakhapatnam and Port Blair. This coordinated response mechanism is effective as seen by the joint Navy and ICG operations which resulted in the 2011 destruction of four Somali pirate mother ships, capture of two pirate mother ships and arrest of 121 Somali pirates, all within 400 nautical miles of India’s south west coast and near India’s Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands.
The ICG has been growing rapidly, with about 110 ships and 12 hovercraft on order in Indian shipyards. As of February 1, 2013, the ICG has about 79 vessels and 57 aircraft-cum-helicopters. New regional headquarters have been set up in Gandhinagar and Kolkata, along with 20 ICG coastal stations in the last four years.
By 2020, the ICG should have 20,000 men, 150 vessels and 100 aircraft-cum-helicopters, despite most of the ageing present vessels being decommissioned. Additional coastal ICG stations and ICG airfields will also be set up. A Coast Guard Academy is being set up near the Naval Academy in Kerala to train personnel, including Marine Police, on specialised ICG subjects.
Thus by 2020, the ICG should be in a position to double its present 12 nautical miles territorial waters patrol zone to the 24 nautical miles contiguous zone. The next target should be to reach a force level of over 260 vessels and 160 aircraft-cum-helicopters by 2030, with a manpower of about 30,000 personnel, so that it can take over complete counter-terror and counter-piracy operations within the 200 nautical miles EEZ, thus relieving the Navy for blue water roles.

February 1 is the 36th anniversary of the Indian Coast Guard

The writer, a former vice-admiral, retired as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam