Indian Navy Navy chief Admiral DK Tripathi has made public its maritime security strategy recently, which mentions Hormuz as a “priority area of interest” among other such “choke points”.
Maritime choke points in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) constitute critical nodes that have a disproportionate impact on global trade and energy security. Such choke points in the IOR are the Cape of Good Hope, Mozambique Channel, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Hormuz, Malacca and Singapore Straits, Sunda Strait, Lombok Strait, Ombai Strait and Vater Strait. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore connect the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, providing the shortest sea route from the Persian Gulf to the East Asia/West Pacific regions.
The Sunda Strait serves as an alternative route to Malacca and Singapore, being 50 nautical miles (nm) long and 15 nm wide at its north-east entrance. Large ships prefer not to pass through this strait due to navigational hazards, depth restrictions and strong currents. The Ombai Strait is located between the islands of Alor and Timor, and the Wetar Strait is located between Timor and Wetar islands. Due to distance, transit through this region is generally not preferred as an alternative to the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
As India’s economic and strategic activities in the oceans expand, the range and intensity of external influences affecting national interests are expected to increase significantly in the coming years, requiring the Indian Navy to operate on a wide geographical canvas. As a result, the entire maritime area beyond the primary area of maritime interest has been designated as a ‘secondary’ area of maritime interest, the document said.
The list of priority areas of maritime interest of the Indian Navy includes “India’s coastal areas and maritime zones; the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea, the Laccadive Sea and their coastal areas; the Persian Gulf region and its coastal areas; the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and their coastal areas; the South-West Indian Ocean, including the IOR island nations and the coastal areas of the east coast of Africa and choke points to and from the Indian Ocean Including the Six Degree Channel, the 8/9 Degree Channel, the Straits of Hormuz, Malacca, Lombok and the Cape of Good Hope and their vital energy and resource interests;
Beyond energy, the maritime sector is the primary source of imports critical to India’s food security, public health and industrial capacity. India will meet 73% of its fertilizer requirements in 2025 through domestic production. Yet, as the world’s second largest fertilizer consumer, India remained dependent on imports for Muriate of Potash (MOP) and heavily depended on foreign sources for Diammonium Phosphate (DAP). It said approximately 16 million tonnes of edible oil is imported annually by sea, with India’s maritime strength, infrastructure and sea-based activities being key drivers for its economic growth and prosperity.
