Click to play videoNew Delhi: India is multiplying its naval firepower in Somali seas after Somalia gave it the green signal to enter its territorial waters in hot pursuit of pirates.
A 6,900 tonne-Delhi class destroyer has been dispatched even as another ship MV Delight carrying seven Indians on board was hijacked on Thursday.
The Delhi class destroyers are the largest indigenously built warships till date and pack more fire power in them than frigates.
A United Nations (UN) Resolution had so far restricted the hot pursuit permission to the US and French navies.
"Indian Navy and all other navies are mandated and mandatory required to take action to prevent piracy in international waters. That is what the law is. When it comes to chasing pirates into territorial waters, then you need some different laws. In the case of Somalia, we also have this permission available to us," Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Chief of Naval Staff, clarified.
Unfettered access to Somali waters will empower the Indian Navy tackle piracy more aggressively.
But despite recent reverses at the hands of the Indian Navy, Somali pirates did not show any signs of slowing down their thuggery on the seas. With the hijack of MV Delhight, the total number of hijacked ships has risen to 10 in just 11 days.
With the stakes rising, pirates too have scaled up their operations from ports like Eyl and Harardere. They are now launching concentrated pack-attacks, seeking to overwhelm ships with larger numbers.
So the Indian Navy is increasing the strength of its anti-piracy patrol from Salalah to Aden to four warships. The Delhi class destroyer will join the frigate, INS Tabar.
There's also the strong possibility of Indian Dorniers being flown from Djibouti and Oman for surveillance missions to assist the anti-piracy patrols.
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