(a) whether a foreign ship carrying the flag of a foreign country ran around undetected
on sea shore in Maharashtra inspite of the three-tier security ring deployed for coastal security;
(b) if so, whether the Government had, in view of such grave security lapse, ordered an
inquiry into the incident;
(c) if so, the outcome of the said inquiry; and
(d) the corrective measures put in place in the coasted security apparatus to avoid recurrence
of such lapses in future?
MINISTER OF DEFENCE(SHRI A.K. ANTONY)
(a) to (c): On 31st July 2011 merchant vessel Panama Flaged MV Pavit was found grounded 1-2
meter depth in position 14 NM north of Colaba Point, Mumbai. MV Pavit was abandoned on 30th June
2011 off the Oman coast and all the thirteen Indian crews were evacuated by Royal Navy ship and
transferred to MT Jag Pushpa for disembarkation at Sikka Gujarat. The Maritime Rescue Coordination
Centre (MRCC) Mumbai remained in touch with the vessel throughout the ordeal till abandoning and
requested the owner to monitor the vessel. However the owner informed MRCC that the vessel has
already sunk.
An analysis carried out by Indian Navy has revealed that the reasons for non detection of MV Pavit
could possibly be attributed to report of the vessel having been sunk, drift path of the ship through
areas not covered by radar, prevailing monsoon weather (low and thick cloud base, poor visibility,
heavy rain, rough seas) in the area precluding satisfactory detection by radar or visual identification
and MV Pavit was also not having operational automatic Identification System (AIS) due to no power
supply or batteries on the ship.
(d) Government has initiated several measures to strengthen Coastal Security, which includes
improving surveillance mechanism and enhanced patrolling by following an integrated approach.
Joint operational exercises are conducted on regular basis among Navy, Coast Guard, Coastal Police,
Customs and others for security of coastal areas including island territories. Further, continuous
review and monitoring of various mechanisms have been established by the Government at different levels,
involving various agencies, including the State/Union Territory authorities. The intelligence mechanism
has also been streamlined through the creation of Joint Operation Centers and multi-agency
coordination mechanism. Installation of radars covering the country’s entire coastline and islands
is also an essential part of this process. An apex body viz. National Committee on strengthening
Maritime and Coastal Security (NCS MCS) has also been formed under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary.