Ensure adequate Indian control over maritime activity: PM

Mumbai (PTI) - Voicing concern over growing
incidents of piracy close to the Indian shores, Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday stressed the need to
ensure adequate control over maritime activity for security
reasons.
"As our maritime sector, including shipping ports,
ship-building and ship repair is of vital significance to our
economy, we should collectively make every effort for growth
of this sector. However, we should also ensure adequate Indian
control over our maritime activity, for reasons of maritime
security," he said.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the concluding
function of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Shipping
Corporation of India (SCI) here at the Shanmukhanda hall.
"Incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships are
a cause of concern to all of us and to the shipping industry
in particular. Instances of pirate attacks in the Arabian sea
and more recently in the Indian Ocean much beyond the piracy
infested areas of Gulf of Aden, pose a serious threat to us by
putting at risk a large number of Indian seafarers and ships
as also our sea-borne trade," he said.
"Our Navy, Coastguard and shipping companies are putting
up a concerted effort in close co-ordination with other
international agencies to deal with this menace," Singh said.