<p data-path-to-node="5">In response to heightened maritime security risks and threats to commercial shipping, the Indian Navy has deployed frontline warships to escort Indian-flagged and Indian-linked merchant vessels transiting through the strategically vital <b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="256">Bab-el-Mandeb Strait</b> and the Gulf of Aden.</p><p data-path-to-node="6">The naval protection operations aim to safeguard critical sea lines of communication (SLOCs), ensure uninterrupted energy and cargo movement between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, and bolster confidence among international shipping lines navigating high-risk maritime zones.</p><h3 data-path-to-node="8">Key Security Measures &amp; Operational Highlights</h3><ul data-path-to-node="9"><li><p data-path-to-node="9,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="9,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Warship Escorts &amp; Patrols:</b> Frontline stealth frigates and guided-missile destroyers have been actively escorting container ships, oil tankers, and bulk carriers through vulnerable choke points in the southern Red Sea corridor.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="9,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="9,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Continuous Surveillance Capabilities:</b> Maritime patrol aircraft, including long-range P-8I aircraft, along with high-altitude drones, are providing persistent surveillance to detect surface and aerial threats along primary shipping lanes.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="9,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="9,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Information Fusion Center Coordination:</b> Operations are coordinated through the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), tracking vessel movements in real time and sharing maritime domain awareness updates with global merchant fleets.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="9,3,0"><b data-path-to-node="9,3,0" data-index-in-node="0">Mitigating Freight &amp; Insurance Spikes:</b> Direct naval escorts help mitigate soaring war risk insurance premiums and discourage costly vessel rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope, preserving supply chain transit times for EXIM trade.</p></li></ul>