Page 2 - Arabian Sea

India, France, UAE conduct joint mega air exercise over Arabian Sea

India, France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carried out a mega air exercise over the Arabian Sea against the backdrop of the rising global concerns over Houthi militants targeting several commercial vessels in the strategic waterways in the region. The exercise 'Desert Knight', conducted on Tuesday, featured several frontline aerial assets and combat jets of the air forces of the three countries, officials said. The Indian Air Force (IAF) component at the drills consisted of Su-30 MKI, MiG-29 and Jaguar fighter jets besides AWACS (airborne early warning and control aircraft, C-130-J transport plane and air-to-air refuelling aircraft. "The main focus of exercise 'Desert Knight' was on enhancing synergy and interoperability between the three air forces," the Indian Air Force said. The exercise took place in the Indian FIR (Flight Information Regions) and with IAF aircraft operated from several bases in India. All airspace worldwide is divided into FIRs and each of them is manag

Indian Navy warships deployed to deter pirates in Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden

According to the officials, the Indian warships are keeping an eye on the situation to deter any incidents at sea

Govt aims to increase warships in Arabian Sea to combat piracy risk

India permanently deploys warships at five choke points in the Indian Ocean, stretching from the Gulf of Aden in the west to the Malacca Strait in the east

Indian Navy trying to hunt down pirates involved in hijacking attempt

Indian Naval forces are on Saturday investigating suspected vessels in the North Arabian Sea to track down the pirates involved in an attempt to hijack a merchant vessel with 21 crew members including 15 Indians, officials said. The Indian Navy on Friday thwarted the attempted hijacking of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk and rescued all its crew members. The crew of the bulk carrier are now engaged in restoring the propulsion system, power supply and steering gear of the platform, the Navy said. "Thereafter, MV Lila Norfolk will recommence her passage to her destination under escort of the Indian naval warship," it said. The Navy deployed a warship, maritime patrol aircraft P-8I, helicopters and and MQ9B Predator drones to assist the vessel, MV Lila Norfolk, after it sent a message on the UK Maritime Trade Operations portal, saying unknown armed personnel had boarded it on Thursday evening. On Friday, Indian Navy's elite marine commandos rescued all 21 crew members of the .

Merchant vessel with 15 Indian crew hijacked near Somalian coast: Navy

India sends a stealth guided-missile destroyer and patrol aircraft to monitor ship

Indian Navy enhances Arabian Sea surveillance after vessel attacks

The Indian Navy has significantly enhanced its surveillance apparatus in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden by deploying frontline destroyers and frigates in view of recent incidents of attacks on merchant vessels. Liberian-flagged cargo vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India's west coast on December 23, triggering security concerns as the incident came amid Iran-backed Houthi militants launching strikes on several commercial ships. Another commercial crude oil tanker, MV Sai Baba, that was on the way to India came under a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. "The last few weeks have witnessed increased maritime security incidents on merchant vessels transiting through international shipping lanes in Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Central/ North Arabian Sea," the Navy said. It also referred to a recent piracy incident on merchant ship MV Ruen approximately 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast. "The

Navy intensifies maritime security ops in Arabian Sea following attacks

Notably, these measures are being taken in the wake of the attack by a suspected drone on merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on December 23

Navy deploys 3 warships in Arabian Sea amid attacks on merchant vessels

The Indian Navy's explosive ordnance disposal team on Monday carried out a detailed inspection of merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on its arrival at Mumbai harbour, two days after the ship was hit by a drone off India's west coast in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port. In view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Navy deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance, and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the region to maintain "deterrent presence", officials said. Saturday's drone attack on Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Liberian-flagged vessel with 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew, anchored at outer anchorage off Mumbai at 3:30 pm. "On her arrival, the Indian Navy explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel

Merchant vessel with 21 Indians hit by drone, Navy deploys patrol aircraft

A suspected drone attack on a merchant vessel with 21 Indian crew in the Arabian Sea off India's west coast caused an explosion on Saturday but there was no report of any casualties in the incident, according to military sources and a maritime agency. A P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, deployed by the Indian Navy after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, reported the incident, ascertained the safety of the vessel and its crew, Indian military sources said. An attack by Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) on a vessel 200 nautical miles South West of Veraval, India, caused "an explosion and fire", the UKMTO said on its website. Indian Navy officials said a maritime patrol aircraft sent to the area flew overhead the merchant vessel and established contact with it. "The aircraft ascertained the safety of the vessel and its crew," said a Navy official. The Navy has already dispatched a frontline warship for safety of the cargo vessel. It is learnt that the Indian Coast Guar

Ship hit by suspected drone attack; Indian Navy, Coast Guard en route scene

Taking swift action, the Indian Coast Guard Ship ICGS Vikram, deployed on patrol of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone started moving towards the merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto in distress

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Cyclone 'Tej' intensifies into extremely severe cyclonic storm, says IMD

Cyclone 'Tej', brewing in the Arabian Sea, intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm on Sunday and is headed towards the Yemen-Oman coasts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The cyclonic storm is predicted to move northwestwards and cross the Yemen-Oman coasts between Al Ghaidah (Yemen) and Salalah (Oman), close to the east of Al Ghaidah around noon on October 24 as a very severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 115-125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph, it said. "The very severe cyclonic storm 'Tej' intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm and lay centred about 160 km east-southeast of Socotra (Yemen), 540 km south-southeast of Salalah (Oman), and 550 km southeast of Al Ghaidah (Yemen) at 8:30 am on Sunday," the IMD said in a statement. The IMD also said the depression over the west-central Bay of Bengal is likely to further intensify into a deep depression by early Monday morning. It is then predicted to recurve and move north-northeastwards during th

Cyclone Tej likely to transform into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm today: IMD

The storm over the Arabian Sea is likely to cross between Al Ghaidah (Yemen) and Salalah (Oman) in the early hours of October 25

Cyclone Tej brewing in Arabian Sea at 1,850 km southwest of Karachi

The cyclonic storm is expected to further intensify due to favourable environmental conditions into a severe cyclonic storm on Sunday

Low-pressure system in Arabian Sea to intensify into cyclonic storm: IMD

A low-pressure area over the southeast and the adjoining southwest Arabian Sea has developed into a depression and is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm by the morning of October 21, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday. This would be the second cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea this year. It will be called 'Tej', according to a formula followed for naming cyclones in the Indian Ocean Region. The cyclonic storm is predicted to further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm on Sunday and move toward the south coasts of Oman and adjoining Yemen, according to the IMD. However, meteorologists caution that at times, storms may deviate from the predicted track and intensity, as seen in the case of cyclone Biparjoy, which formed in the Arabian Sea in June and initially moved in a north-northwest direction before changing course to make landfall between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan. Private forecasting agency Skymet Weather said that a majority of

At 13 days and 3 hours, Biparjoy longest duration cyclone since 1977: IMD

Cyclone Biparjoy, which wreaked havoc in Gujarat earlier this month, was the longest duration cyclonic storm in the northern Indian Ocean since 1977, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday. Biparjoy, the first cyclonic storm over the Arabian Sea this year, originated over the southeast Arabian Sea on June 6 and had landfall over Saurashtra and Kutch on June 15 before weakening into a depression on June 18. The cyclonic storm had a total life of 13 days and three hours (depression to depression), more than double the average life of severe cyclonic storms of six days and three hours over the Arabian Sea, the IMD said in a report on Biparjoy. The longest duration cyclone over the north Indian Ocean had developed over the Bay of Bengal and weakened over the Arabian Sea between November 8-23, 1977 with a life period of 14 days and six hours. In recent years, extremely severe cyclonic storm Kyarr (October, 2019) over Arabian Sea had a life period of nine days and 15 ..

Bracing for Biparjoy: Cyclones hitting India's coasts become more frequent

Eastern seaboard most affected but the west is becoming more vulnerable too

'Biparjoy' on course to become cyclone with longest lifespan in Arabian Sea

Cyclone Biparjoy, expected to cross the Gujarat coast on June 15, is on course to become the cyclone with the longest lifespan in the Arabian Sea, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. It will also be the third cyclone to hit the western state in June since 1965, the meteorological office said. "Based on data from 1965 to 2022 for the month of June, 13 cyclones developed over the Arabian Sea. Of these, two crossed the Gujarat coast, one Maharashtra, one Pakistan coast, three Oman-Yemen coasts and six weakened over the sea," the IMD said. Before 2023, only two cyclones crossed the Gujarat coast in June. One was a severe cyclone in 1996 and the other was an extremely severe cyclonic storm in 1998, it said. The life period of Cyclone Biparjoy, which developed over the southeast Arabian Sea at 5.30 am on June 6, is about seven days and 12 hours so far. The extremely severe Cyclone Kyarr of 2019 over the Arabian Sea had a life of 9 days and 15 hours. It developed

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June 1-8 rain 60 per cent deficient; 52% of India net cultivated area relies on monsoon

Very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy to intensify, move northwards: IMD

The very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy would intensify further and move north-northwestwards, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD).In a notice, IMD said, "VSCS BIPARJOY over east-central Arabian Sea, lay centred at 0530hrs IST of 08th June, near lat 13.9N & long 66.0E, about 860km west-southwest of Goa, 910km southwest of Mumbai, would intensify further & move north-northwestwards."In its earlier bulletin, IMD said the cyclone would intensify further gradually during the next 48 hours and move nearly north-northwestwards during the next 3 days."VSCS BIPARJOY over the east-central Arabian Sea, lay centred at 2330hrs IST of 07 Jun 2023 near lat 13.6N & long 66.0E, about 870km west-southwest of Goa, 930km sw of Mumbai. It would intensify further gradually during next 48hrs & move nearly north-northwestwards during next 3days," tweeted IMD.Fishermen are advised not to venture into such cyclone-hit areas in the Arabian Sea and those who are out at sea are