maritime surveillance: Drones likely to be pressed into maritime surveillance, say officials

Safety companies are devising plans to implement drone surveillance methods alongside the coastal areas of Mumbai and Goa to bolster maritime safety, officers stated on Sunday. This comes within the wake of a latest incident the place three people from Kuwait reached the Gateway of India, underscoring vulnerabilities within the present coastal safety setup, they stated.

The trio — Nitso Ditto (31), Vijay Vinay Anthony (29) and J Sahayatta Anish (29) — had navigated Indian waters after absconding with a ship from their employer in Kuwait, alleging mistreatment.

Upon surrendering to the authorities, they have been arrested for violating the Passport (Entry into India) Guidelines. The officers expressed issues that the people may have simply blended into the native populace undetected. A forensic evaluation of their World Positioning System (GPS) had many lacking patches, with the trio claiming they’d switched off the set to avoid wasting battery, the officers stated.

These, the officers really feel, may very well be misused by anti-national components and advocated to be used of drones extensively for sustaining surveillance alongside the nation’s maritime borders.

The officers stated conventional maritime surveys and inspections must endure a metamorphosis with the mixing of Unmanned Aerial Automobiles (UAVs) because the inclusion of drones — armed with high-resolution cameras and sensors — would revolutionise the effectivity and cost-effectiveness of those duties. By capturing intricate pictures and movies of vessels, offshore constructions and coastal areas, the drones would assist in the method of sustaining surveillance with unmatched precision. Recalling the tragic occasions of November 26, 2008, when Lashker-e-Taiba terrorists wreaked havoc in Mumbai, claiming 166 lives, the officers underscored the urgency of accelerating coastal surveillance measures.

Recognising the necessity for heightened vigilance, safety companies really feel that the deployment of long-range drones is a should to observe the 652.6-kilometre shoreline in Maharashtra and the 101.0-kilometre stretch in Goa.

The Coast Guard’s procurement of drones with superior capabilities, together with vertical take-off and touchdown options, signifies a step in the direction of enhancing surveillance, safety operations and search-and-rescue missions.

However, the officers emphasise the crucial for extra drones geared up with prolonged vary and evening imaginative and prescient capabilities to pre-empt potential threats emanating from neighbouring nations, notably Pakistan.

Drones geared up with evening imaginative and prescient and thermal imaging capabilities can be very important for maritime border surveillance throughout nighttime or adversarial climate situations as these can detect warmth signatures and strange actions in naked minimal gentle conditions.

The officers really feel that the drones with refined identification and monitoring capabilities may establish vessels having Automated Identification System (AIS) and monitor their actions.

India’s expansive 7,516.6-kilometre shoreline spanning 9 states and 4 Union Territories underscores the magnitude of the safety problem.

Following the 26/11 assaults, the federal government has undertaken varied initiatives to fortify coastal defences in opposition to maritime threats, together with integration of maritime stakeholders right into a unified coastal safety framework, supported by the institution of Joint Operations Centres (JOC) in key coastal cities.

With round the clock monitoring and collaboration facilitated by way of these JOCs, a seamless community comprising naval and Coast Guard groups, state marine police, Customs, Intelligence Bureau, and port authorities has been established, underscoring a collective dedication to safeguarding India’s coastal borders in opposition to potential threats.