Maritime and Coastal Security of India Notes for UPSC: Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Police, 26/11 Reforms, Coastal Security Scheme, Island Territories and Maritime Laws

India has a coastline of about 7,500 km, nearly 1,300 islands, more than 200 ports and an Exclusive Economic Zone of over two million square kilometres. The sea is a source of trade, energy, food and security, and also a route for the threats: terror attacks from the sea, smuggling, illegal fishing, piracy and the intrusion of the hostile ships. The 26/11 Mumbai attack of 2008, in which terrorists came by sea, showed the weakness of the coastal security and led to a complete reform of the system. For UPSC, this topic belongs to the Internal Security part of GS III and it also overlaps with the International Relations and the Geography. These notes explain the multi-layered coastal security system, the role of the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard and the Marine Police, the reforms after 26/11, the island territories, the maritime challenges and the way forward.

Why Maritime Security Is Important for UPSC

The Prelims asks about the forces, the agencies and the schemes (the National Committee on Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security, the Coastal Security Scheme, the Information Fusion Centre), and the Mains asks about the issues of the coastal security, the role of the Navy and the Coast Guard, and the strategic importance of the Andaman and Nicobar and the Lakshadweep islands. Read this alongside our notes on Border Management, Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Laws and .

Threats from the Sea

• Terrorism from the sea: The Mumbai attacks of 1993 (with the RDX landed on the coast) and 2008 are the major examples.
• Smuggling and trafficking: Of the gold, drugs, arms, wildlife and humans through the less guarded coast and the islands.
• Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the crossing of the fishermen into the foreign waters, which creates the diplomatic disputes with the neighbours.
• Piracy and armed robbery at sea, particularly off the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden.
• Intrusion and the hostile naval activity: The research and the survey ships of the other powers in the Indian Ocean.
• Environmental and natural threats: Oil spills, cyclones and the sea-level rise.
• Cyber threats to the ports and the shipping systems.

The Three-Tier Coastal Security System

The Coast Guard is the overall in-charge of the coastal security in the territorial waters, including the area patrolled by the Marine Police. The Navy is responsible for the overall maritime security, including the coastal and the offshore security.

The Main Agencies and Their Roles

Reforms After the 26/11 Attacks

• The National Committee for Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS), headed by the Cabinet Secretary, coordinates the efforts. The National Security Advisor oversees the larger framework.
• The Coastal Security Scheme (Phase I from 2005 and Phase II) helped the coastal states to set up the coastal police stations, the check posts, the interceptor boats and the training.
• The Coastal Radar Chain and the Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders on the ships help in the tracking.
• The registration of the fishing vessels and the biometric identity cards for the fishermen, with the transponders in the boats, to identify the genuine ones.
• The Sagar Kavach and the other joint exercises for the coastal states, to test the readiness.
• The creation of the National Intelligence Grid and the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) for the intelligence sharing, and the NSG hubs in the key cities.

Piracy and the Gulf of Aden

Piracy near the Horn of Africa grew sharply in the years around 2008 to 2011 and threatened the world trade through the Gulf of Aden. Since 2008, the Indian Navy has kept the warships on the anti-piracy patrol in the region, escorted the merchant ships and rescued many crews. The Navy has also responded to the new attacks on the commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea in recent years. India passed the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act in 2022, which gives the legal basis to the arrest and the trial of the pirates in line with the UNCLOS. These missions show that the Navy is a "net security provider" for the region, and they strengthen India's image as a responsible maritime power.

Island Territories: The Strategic Importance

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, close to the entrance of the Malacca Strait, are of great strategic value. The Andaman and Nicobar Command, set up in 2001, is the first tri-service command of India, and it is located at Port Blair. The Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea sit on the main shipping routes, and the new naval base INS Jatayu at Minicoy (2024) strengthens the western side. India has developed the airfields, the ports and the surveillance on the islands. The balance between the strategic development and the protection of the tribal communities (such as the Jarawa and the Sentinelese) and the fragile ecology is a continuing issue.

Maritime Boundaries and the Law

• The Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of Fishing by Foreign Vessels) Act, 1981 and the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, EEZ and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976 define the zones.
• India follows the UNCLOS: 12 nautical miles for the territorial sea, 24 for the contiguous zone and 200 for the Exclusive Economic Zone.
• The Coast Guard Act, 1978 and the Anti-Piracy Act, 2022 give the legal power to deal with the piracy, in line with the UNCLOS.
• The Indian Ports Act and the merchant shipping laws regulate the ports and the ships, and are being modernised.

Challenges of Coastal Security

• The large number of the fishing boats and the fisherfolk, and the difficulty of the separating the genuine from the suspect craft.
• The coordination gaps among the many agencies at the Centre and the states, and the shortage of the staff and the equipment in the Marine Police.
• The vulnerability of the many small and the non-major ports and the long, open coastline.
• The livelihood of the fishing communities, who suffer from the restrictions and also from the arrests across the maritime boundary lines, as in the Palk Strait.
• The presence of the foreign research vessels and the growing activity of the competing powers in the Indian Ocean.

The Mains Angle: Way Forward

For a Mains answer, suggest a "whole of government" and "whole of society" approach: a single, clearly led maritime security authority to coordinate the agencies, the use of technology (radars, drones, satellites and AI-based analysis of the shipping data), the capacity building of the Marine Police, the involvement of the fishing communities as the "eyes and ears" through the community-based networks, the better port security, and the international cooperation through the information sharing with the friendly navies. Link the issue to the national security, the blue economy and the livelihood concerns of the fishermen.

Previous-Year Style Practice

• Which force is responsible for the coastal security in the territorial waters? Answer: The Indian Coast Guard, with the Marine Police.
• In which year was the Coast Guard established? Answer: 1978.
• Which is the first tri-service command of India? Answer: The Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• Which attack led to the major reform of the coastal security? Answer: The 26/11 Mumbai attack.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How long is the coastline of India?

About 7,500 km, including the islands.

Which agency is responsible for the coastal security in the territorial waters?

The Indian Coast Guard, with the help of the Marine Police.

When was the Indian Coast Guard established?

In 1978.

Under which ministry does the Coast Guard work?

The Ministry of Defence.

What is the three-tier coastal security system?

The Marine Police in the inner layer, the Coast Guard in the middle layer and the Navy in the outer layer.

Which attack led to the post-26/11 reforms?

The Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008.

What is the Andaman and Nicobar Command?

The first tri-service theatre command of India, set up in 2001.

What is the IFC-IOR?

The Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region at Gurugram, set up in 2018.

What is the role of the Marine Police?

They patrol the shallow waters near the coast and run the coastal police stations.

What does the AIS do?

The Automatic Identification System lets the ships transmit the identity and the position, so they can be tracked.

What is the EEZ?

The Exclusive Economic Zone, up to 200 nautical miles from the coast, where the coastal state has the rights over the resources.

How is this topic asked in UPSC?

As the agencies, the schemes and the reforms in the Prelims, and as the issues and the way forward in the Mains.