Maritime Security: Interview with Commodore RS Vasan (Retd), Head, Strategy and Security Studies, Center for Asia Studies

www.informa.com.au/portmaritimesecurity
Tina Karas, Conference Manager – Port & Maritime Security 2013
tina.karas@informa.com.au
Since we last spoke in 2011, there seems to have been some victories in the battle against
pirates and maritime terrorism. The international maritime security community recently
celebrated one year without successful pirate hijackings in the West Indian Ocean. What are
your impressions of the current state of piracy in the region?
The assessment that there have been some victories in anti-piracy and counter terrorism efforts is
indeed valid. The relative success is due to many measures by the stakeholders. The IMO, ship owners,
Masters of vessels, navies of the world and others have all pitched in and have contributed to the
success by working together and being prepared for the piracy attacks at sea. Let me hasten to add that
the menace is not over by any yard stick. The pirates are obviously on a wait and watch mode. There is a
situation that can be classified as a temporary lull and one could witness increased attacks on smaller
undefended vessels due to the high stakes involved. The phenomenon is already visible in Nigerian
waters where more attacks are taking place. The attacks there are more intense and severe with great
danger to seafarers. Piracy will continue to be a challenge in many parts of the world as there are huge
investments and return on investment in piracy as an industry. The annual piracy cost is indicated at 9-
11 billion USD. Last year alone, the estimates have been put at about 18 billion dollars. It has also been
indicated that there could be many foreign handlers who are in Somalia to make quick money using the
opportunity. They are not the ones to be easily deterred as they have time and patience on their side. It
can be even equated to the gold rush of the 19th
century.
The scourge of piracy has its roots over land and that is where lot more needs to be done. It is not that
measures are not being initiated ashore; just that there are issues of international understanding and
need for higher levels of cooperation to integrate Somalia in to the main stream of African and global
eco system. The role of signatories to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, IMO, and many other global and
regional institutions will continue to drive the pace at which normalcy is restored in Somalia. This is a
combination of social, political and economic issues which need assertive action.
The 21st century has been described as a maritime century as much as it is an
Asian century with the rise of China and India and Commodore RS Vasan
(Retd), Head, Strategy and Security Studies, Center for Asia Studies, recently
joined us to discuss maritime security in the Indian Ocean and beyond.
The security landscape has evolved since we last spoke with Commodore RS
Vasan in 2011 and topics on the agenda included piracy, the role of the Indian
Navy, the impact of reduced defence budgets and the need for
intergovernmental and interagency cooperation in securing the freedom of
navigation.

What do you believe has contributed to these ‘victories’?
The limited success and not a total victory as being made out is due to the combined international
effort of over forty navies of the world who rigorously pursued the anti-piracy missions in the high risk
areas. The role of coordinating agencies such as the UKMTO, ReCAAP, PRC, navies of the world, and IMO
cannot be underestimated. On the part of the Masters of the vessels and crew, there was greater
awareness and the Best Management Practices (BMP4) prescribed by the industry and regulators. The
ships by and large scrupulously followed the guidelines thereby denying the pirates easy opportunities.
The role of the armed guards likewise has been a significant deterrent at the tactical level, as the
possible use of force by the target ship kept the pirates at arm’s length. The industry and the IMO have
not totally accepted the necessity and role of armed guards due to certain incidents of indiscriminate
shooting that has claimed innocent lives. However in the short term and may be even in the long term,
the armed guards will continue to protect ships. However, the deployment of armed guards in the high
risk areas does cost the ship owners and if there is a perceived notion that it is safer now to sail without
the protection, it might witness the return of the pirates again. So it is indeed a Catch-22 situation.
Do you think these actions and initiatives will have a long-term impact?
As I have mentioned earlier, most of the actions initiated have succeeded in containing the scourge of
piracy. However, it is the land that has the answers to providing long term solutions. So the fight against
piracy has to be predominantly carried out over land while containing the impact at sea.
Although the Indian Navy has had some recent success with patrolling its shores against
pirates, there is growing concern about the rising threat of Pakistani nuclear missile power.
Can you tell us more about the role of the Indian Navy since the Mumbai terror attacks?
I think the two issues are quite different from one another. The Indian Navy has been taking on
diversified roles since the Mumbai terror attacks. It is now at the apex of the Maritime Security
Architecture in Indian peninsula and oversees the entire range of operations from the East African Coast
right up to the eastern extent of the Indian Ocean. The anti-piracy measures have brought ships from
many countries including from India for patrolling in the Gulf of Aden to protect the SLOCs. This is an
ongoing process that is also linked to the global initiatives in the region. Indian Navy has succeeded in
contributing to the global anti-piracy missions by neutralising many mother ships and taking more than a
hundred pirates in to custody. Jurisdictional and other issues do pose legal obstacles in prosecution and
India has gone ahead to introduce a new anti-piracy bill in the parliament last year.
As far as the nuclear threat from across the border is concerned, India has learned to live with the
nuclear neighbours on its flanks and has mechanisms in place. There were serious concerns about the
safety of the nuclear arsenal in Pakistan, not just in India but also by US and others. At one stage, there
were fears that the nuclear weapons could fall in to the hands of terrorist aided organisations and
outfits.

It appears that the recent elections in Pakistan has provided a window of opportunity for democracy to
take roots and therefore reap the dividends of peace and stability when the two democratic
governments start talking to each other to remove the trust deficit. There are expectations that the
civilian Government will have better control of the armed services and the nuclear trigger. The concerns
will continue to be addressed at the political, strategic and military levels while acknowledging that no
nation would use the nuclear weapons indiscriminately. India has a stated policy of no first use of
nuclear weapons but has systems in place to retaliate if attacked first by nuclear means.
The return of democracy in Pakistan is a good sign and is being welcomed by all nations as it hopefully
will bring in effective civilian rule where the army and other arms are assisting the Government and not
the other way round.
What do you see as the main threats to India’s current maritime security?
The challenges in other than war situation continue to be about anti-piracy, marine pollution, fisheries
and livelihood, scientific exploration and engagement in the EEZ., With a long coast line of over 7516
kilometers, an EEZ of 2 million square kilometers and a Search and Rescue Region (SRR) of four million
square kilometers, far flung Islands numbering over 1200 Island, the maritime security challenges are
indeed immense.
There is continued threat to our coasts from adversaries. The problems of illegal immigrants using Asian
countries as transit points to undertake long voyages to Australia throw up new challenges demanding
enhanced levels of information sharing and joint action.
The very definition of maritime security is no longer confined to conventional military security but
encompasses all the headings listed above. The threats therefore come from poaching, unregulated
traffic, insufficient levels of technology for MDA and lack of preparedness and capacity to guard the
coastline and the EEZ. These threats can only be overcome by building capacity and proactive capability
to prevent and tackle developing situation at sea. India being the most equipped with maritime security
structures in tact is in a position to contributing to stability, security and safety in the maritime domain.
A number of governments across the world, Australia included, have reduced their defence
budgets. The Indian Navy received about a sixth of an overall defence budget of less than $40
billion in fiscal 2012-13. What impact will this have on the Indian Navy’s capabilities?
The reduction of budget allocation is a universal phenomenon particularly with the global economic
downturn. There would be long term impact on acquisition of new platforms, systems and technologies
which will result in gaps in preparedness. India would need to find some home grown solutions to
ensure that the reduced budgets do not adversely affect the preparedness. There are options not
necessarily in the public domain which caters for such contingencies and allows for redeployment of

resources on either coast. This is also an opportunity for the like-minded nations to pool their resources
to face the crunch.
We’re approaching the 5-year anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. What are some of
the key changes that have been implemented as a consequence at the attacks?
The nation has embarked at many levels to overcome deficiencies in tools and techniques in building
robust maritime security architecture (MSA). The augmentation of the force levels has been accorded a
high priority. Revamping of the entire MSA has been undertaken which places the Navy at the apex both
for coastal and oceanic security. Without indulging in specificities, suffice to say that the intelligence
apparatus has been fine-tuned to be able to provide proactive timely intelligences. The coastal radar
network has been put in place by using old unused light houses to install radars and IR devices that can
be remotely operated by the security agencies for 24x7 surveillance.
Speaking of anniversaries, on 01 July 2013, ISPS would complete nine years of existence. Has
the geo-political environment and task for protecting ships and ports remained the same? Is
the ISPS still relevant?
International Ship and Port Security code has definitely brought about a paradigm shift in ship and port
security since its inception in July2004. The ships, the ports, the owners, and the contracting
Government or the Flag State are all on the same page when it comes to ensuring that the industry is in
a high degree of readiness to prevent surprises in ports and onboard ships. The basic purpose of
ensuring that the ships are not taken over and used as weapons, as was done by the suicide attackers in
the WTC attacks (to cause death and destruction )has largely been achieved. The caveat is that of course
that no system is perfect and there is always a danger of complacency or human fallibility leading to
another surprise. The fact that all the stake holders are on the same page and are willing to exchange
information on a regular basis and also implement various measures as required by the ISPS has
rendered the task of potential terrorists, and unscrupulous operators that much more difficult.
While the security of ships and ports by and large appears to be relatively safer, the piracy attacks that
increased many fold between 2005 and 2011 brought in different challenges for ships transiting piracy
prone areas. The efforts to protect ships from pirates have been discussed while responding to some of
the questions above. The efforts therefore are to ensure that there is no disruption of mercantile marine
trade on which nations depend for their economy and even day to day living. One can say therefore
that while ISPS has been embraced and has been accepted as an effective tool for ship and port safety,
the danger of piracy is taking center stage today.
The 2009 Australian Defence White paper identified the Indian Ocean as an area of growing
strategic importance for Australia and the Indian and Australian Governments recently
strengthened maritime security ties with a historic visit to Australia of Defence Minister A K
Antony to meet his counterpart Stephen Smith in Canberra. The Ministers agreed to continue

ongoing bilateral Naval exchanges to build confidence and familiarity between the Navies
and work towards a bilateral maritime exercise in 2015. How significant is such
intergovernmental cooperation?
There are hardly any doubts about the importance of the Indian Ocean to the world. The warm water
ports of the Indian Ocean Region and the Sea Lines of Communication from Africa to Australia and also
to the East Asian Economies through the Malacca Straits have assumed enormous significance for the
growing economies in the Asian century. India is currently the chair for the IOR-ARC and Australia is the
vice chair. The two countries have come a long way in understanding the significance of their joint work
for the shared prosperity and development in the IOR region. The White paper therefore is right in
acknowledging the growing importance of the strategic and economic alliance of the two democracies.
Both Australia and India are now in a position to recalibrate their responses to the growing maritime
challenges in the region from the east coast of Africa to the coast of Australia. There are issues of
serious concern and the issue of illegal immigration is on the top of the list. The efforts by many
nationals to seek illegal immigration has accentuated the concerns of safety of victims and also the
modus operandi of unscrupulous elements who can wreak havoc in the maritime domain with long term
implications. . It is not just India and Australia who need to be concerned, it would be the responsibility
of all the nations in the region to come together and have mechanisms in place to restore law and order
at sea by collaborative efforts and cooperation. This obviously would lead to setting up of joint task
forces, joint training, sharing of resources, regional interaction with other stake holders, MoUs and
policy prescriptions based on regular meetings and interactions.
The 21st century has been described as a maritime century as much as it is an Asian century
with the rise of China and India. At a time when China's postures in the seas have caused
concerns, how critical is the freedom of navigation for the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean
regions?
The time tested concept of the freedom of navigation is something that needs to be protected
whenever challenged. It is enshrined and supported by the United Nations Conventions on the Laws of
the Seas (UNCLOS 1982). The number of nations who have not yet ratified /signed are indeed in a
minority. The USA though has signed the convention, is yet to ratify the same due to domestic debate
and differences. The root cause in both South China Sea and the East China sea is due to the conflicting
nature of claims over areas in which large tracts of hydrocarbons/gas is expected. This by no means
should come in the way of the right to navigation and innocent passage in any waters including
territorial waters for purposes of safe navigation. Even China by its public statements appears to uphold
the concept. There is a need for clear international understanding and unambiguous guidelines to
prevent escalation in contested areas which may impede legitimate international traffic .The bottom
line is that whether it is the Indian Ocean or the Pacific ocean or any other ocean, the right of a sea
farer to transit any waters for purposes of trade and traffic always needs to be upheld.

How can the shipping industry best help governments and military in their efforts to
safeguard maritime security?
There has always been this dilemma of how much safety is required and what cost? While the shipping
industry desires unimpeded traffic and unfettered movement of ships, cargo and crew with least
security restrictions (and cost), the security agencies and the Governments would like to err on the side
of caution and thus there is a conflict of interests which is what needs to be managed.
The shipping industry does comply with the laws of International organisations (it has no choice) and
does respond well to the challenges. The profit driven industry has its own challenges, compulsions and
obligations while ensuring that the key requirements of SAFE, EXPEDITIOUS, SECURE traffic are met from
end to end. The global economic down turn has affected the industry and there could be temptation at
times to cut corners. This is what needs to be monitored by regulating bodies. Despite the statistics to
prove that those ships which comply with BMP are by and large not targeted by pirates, (or if targeted
are in a position to avoid being taken over,) there are still many ships which do not necessarily comply
with the provisions.
While therefore it is important for the industry to achieve and sustain bench marks that promote safety,
security and efficiency, it is equally important for the Governments and Regulatory authorities to be
sensitive and concerned about the changing nature of demands of the industry. The only way to achieve
this harmonious relation is by regular interaction, feedback and other mechanisms that build mutual
trust and confidence. This at times becomes a tall order due to the nature of conflicting requirements of
the stakeholders.
Commodore RS Vasan will be discussing the evolving maritime security architecture in the Indian
Ocean since the Mumbai terror attacks at this year’s Port & Maritime Security conference on the 30th
July 2013.
Commodore RS Vasan served the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard for over 34 years, holding
many important command and staff appointments. Prior to his retirement, he was the Regional
Commander at the Coast Guard Regional Head Quarters at Chennai overseeing maritime safety and
security in the Bay of Bengal. He is currently at the Center for Asia Studies as Head, Strategy and
Security Studies.
For more information on the conference, visit www.informa.com.au/portmaritimesecurity
To view our 2011 interview with Commodore RS Vasan visit
www.informa.com.au/conferences/transport-conference/shipping-conference/port-maritime-
security/is-australia-susceptible-to-a-terrorist-attack

Maritime Security: Interview with Commodore RS Vasan (Retd), Head, Strategy and Security Studies, Center for Asia Studies

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Maritime Security: Interview with Commodore RS Vasan (Retd), Head, Strategy and Security Studies, Center for Asia Studies