HAYDEN SANTIMANO

MARITIME SECURITY PROJECT ON

INDIA IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

PART II CLAS GOA UNIVERSITY 06/09/13

Indian in the Indian Ocean

Introduction Indian Ocean, body of salt water, covering approximately one-fifth of the total ocean area of the world. It is the smallest, youngest, and physically most complex of all the worlds major oceans. It stretches for more than 6,200 miles (10,000 km) between the southern tips of Africa and Australia and, without its marginal seas, has an area of about 28,360,000 square miles (73,440,000 square km). The Indian Oceans average depth is 12,990 feet (3,960 metres), and its deepest point, in the Sunda Deep of the Java Trench off the southern coast of Java, is 24,442 feet (7,450 metres). The Indian Ocean is bounded by Iran, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh to the north; the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands of Indonesia, and Australia to the east; Antarctica to the south; and Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to the west. In the southwest it joins the Atlantic Ocean south of the southern tip of Africa, and to the east and southeast its waters mingle with those of the Pacific. Travel across the Indian Ocean and passage from its waters into neighbouring seas is both facilitated and potentially constrained by chokepoints. The seven key chokepoints in the Indian Ocean region are the Mozambique Channel, the Bab el Mandeb, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz, the Malacca Straits, the Sunda Strait, and the Lombok Strait. On land the Indian Ocean is bounded and variously influenced by 38 states: Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, East Timor, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. (France and the United Kingdom can also be counted among the Indian Ocean littoral states because of their island territories). Combined, these countries make up almost 40% of the worlds total coastline, dominated in order by Indonesia,

Australia, India, Madagascar, Malaysia, Thailand, Somalia, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia

History For centuries the ancient rulers in India never thought about making a maritime security because there was a common understanding to freely use the sea for resources and navigation and not to attack the enemy. The Indian Ocean Trade began with small trading settlements around 800 A.D., and ended in the 1500s when Portugal invaded and tried to run the trade for its own profit. As trade intensified between Africa and Asia, powerful city-states flourished along the eastern coast of Africa. These included Kilwa, Sofala, Mombasa, Malindi, and others. The city-states traded with inland kingdoms like Great Zimbabwe to obtain gold, ivory, and iron. These materials were then sold to places like India, Southeast Asia, and China. These were Africas exports in the Indian Ocean Trade. These items could be sold at a profit because they were scarce in Asian countries. At the same time, the East African city-states were buying items from Asia. Many residents of the citystates were willing to pay high prices for cotton, silk, and porcelain objects. These items were expensive because they were not available in Africa at the time. These were Africas imports in the Indian Ocean Trade. The Trading World of the Indian Ocean, 1500 1800 is a comprehensive examination of the development of the maritime trade routes that ultimately placed India firmly at the forefront of the international commodity market.

Other World Powers in Indian Ocean As a result of all this, almost all the worlds major powers have deployed substantial military forces in the Indian Ocean region. For example, in addition to maintaining expeditionary forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US 5th Fleet is headquartered in Bahrain, and uses the island of Diego Garcia as a major air-naval base and logistics hub for its Indian Ocean operations. In addition, the United States has deployed several major naval task forces there, including Combined Task Force 152, which is aimed at safeguarding the flow of oil through the Persian Gulf, and Combined Task Force 150, which is tasked with countering piracy from the Gulf of Oman to Kenya. France, meanwhile, is perhaps the last of the major European powers to maintain a significant presence in the north and southwest Indian Ocean quadrants, with naval bases in Djibouti, Reunion, and Abu Dhabi. And, of course, China and India both also have genuine aspirations of developing blue water naval capabilities through the development and acquisition of aircraft carriers and an aggressive modernization and expansion programme. China is also moving in since 2008 it has shown the world its naval capabilities. They are an aspiring blue water navy. The blue book makes a case for China to deepen its economic engagements with the Indian Ocean Regions littoral states, but stresses that Beijings interests will be driven by commercial rather than military objectives. Importance of Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean region is rapidly emerging as an essential crossroads linking the world's major producers and consumers of natural resources. Today, more than twothirds of the world's oil passes through the region's waters, while Australia, Indonesia, and South Africa now account for more than half of global coal exports, shipping much of their product across the Indian Ocean to India, China, Japan, and South Korea, the world's top importers. But thats not all there is more, the natural riches beneath the sea will be as crucial to securing the region's future welfare as the commercial wealth travelling over the ocean waves. Marine Resources The shallow waters of the tropical zone are characterized by numerous corals and other organisms capable of building, together with calcareous red algae, reefs and coral islands. These coralline structures shelter a thriving marine fauna consisting of sponges, worms, crabs, mollusks, sea urchins, brittle stars, starfish, and small but exceedingly brightly coloured reef fish. Marine life is important for local sustainability and also for national economy. All benefit from it. Which is precisely the reason why we are all duty bound to take good care of it.

Climate change is turning out to be a challenge in present times. It adversely affects the marine life because certain animals require certain temperatures and migrate to other or parish. Climate change is a reason for fish to die in water. Hence is must be taken seriously. We should also take care to see that no pollution is created and that the marine life is not harmed. UNCLOS has laid down rules which must be strictly be adhered to. Trade The Indian Ocean represents a significant commercial artery as well as a global security arena. The 2008-09 global economic crisis has left the worlds maritime shipping industry in a fragile state, although signs of recovery abound. While world seaborne trade dropped by 4.5% in 2009, the sustained positive economic performance of China, India, Brazil, and other key developing economies during the crisis helped maintain some semblance of stability in the global shipping industry. According to the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, more than 80% of the worlds seaborne trade in oil transits through Indian Ocean choke points, with 40% passing through the Strait of Hormuz, 35% through the Strait of Malacca and 8% through the Bab el-Mandab Strait. Every day about thousands of ships pass through these waters. All the East Asian countries are energy importing countries and rely heavily on oil. Which means that is for some reason the ships dont reach their destination then the countries economies might collapse. Security In recent years security region has become a major concern. There is the sea line of communication to be protected and then there are underground cables also there which connect the world.
Underground cables in the Indian Ocean

In recent years Somalia has proved to be a difficult state. It is up to the world community to put an end to piracy and ensure that free navigation is possible in the world. For example at the start of last year, India, China and Japan quietly entered into a mutual arrangement to share their naval assets in the Gulf of Aden for antipiracy operations. Other Issues "Non-traditional" maritime issues in the Indian Ocean region are now on the agenda. Forced migration due to rising sea levels and polluted sea water is a problem that all Asian countries have to take seriously in the years ahead if global warming continues. This is a serious concern which much be dealt with. Island nations like Maldives will cease to exist. This is paralleled by growing desertification in East Africa leading to food shortages, which in turn would increase migration, much of it illegal. And fishery depletion in the Indian Ocean due to poor monitoring and overfishing has become a serious matter that the international community must address. Indias Role in Indian Ocean Fortunately for India it is having a very geo-strategic location. It has a vast coast line and is penetrating into the Indian Ocean. Both of these features give at an advantage. It can be said as a link between the west and the east. That said it is up to India to take on the challenge of preserving dominance over the Indian Ocean or giving it up some other country. As the issues have been pointed out it is up to India to ascertain role as a maritime power. It must begin to take up the role of a care taker of the region. India must sue its vast coast guard and navy to secure its coastal region and later expand beyond into the Indian Ocean region. India must see that their marine and aquatic resources are not harmed or polluted in anyway. India must consciously take care of their trade because India an oil importing country and cannot survive without it. Most of the worlds trade is transported by ship because it is cheaper than air. This means that Indias trade to the rest of the world will also get a boost. Hence in its own interests India must secure trade with its neighbours. Indian navy is the 7th largest in the world, and by 2018 expected to have the worlds largest coast guard. It is time India puts these forces to use by deploying them at strategic locations and for protection of their own maritime interests. India should secure the Indian Ocean and provide protection to not only their maritime interest but also the other countries for a fee. This was the Indian government will also profit.

India should bring the 40 odd countries involved in the Indian Ocean for talks on environmental issues. All the counties must take it upon themselves to protect and preserve marine biodiversity. India has big construction firms which it can offer services to island nation like Maldives for land filling. This will help them survive in the short run. While working on environmental issues is the key for a long and a full time solution. And since India is right in the middle of all this and will be adversely affected it must do everything it can for the Indian Ocean region. India must take advantage of Americas dislike of China and use it to its advantage.

Bibliography
Trade and Civilization in the Indian Ocean Britannica CIA World Fact Book A History of the Indian Ocean Region: A Conceptual Framework (Jstore) Indian Ocean Horizons at Winds of Change (Foreign Affairs 2005) Maritime security in the Indian Ocean: strategic setting and features (Institute for Security Studies 2012) Indian Ocean Rising: Maritime Security and Policy Challenges Web Sites: defenceforumindia.com www.iorgroup.org www.eastasiaforum.org