The European Union’s naval force in the Indian Ocean has proposed a joint exercise with the Indian Navy focused on counter-piracy and building interoperability, reflecting the growing maritime security cooperation between the two sides.
The proposal was made during a visit to India this week by the operation commander of EU naval force Atalanta, Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, who said the two sides have a shared interest in ensuring the Indian Ocean remains a “free, open, sustainable and inclusive area free of dangers”.
Warships of EU member states deployed with naval force Atalanta in the Indian Ocean have regularly held “passex” or passing exercises with the Indian Navy, which are limited in scale. The exercise proposed by the EU will be more advanced and focus on counter-piracy operations, tactical manoeuvres and communications, Serrano told a small group of reporters.
If the Indian side approves the proposal, the exercise will be held in the Indian Ocean by the end of May and the EU side will field two warships. “I want the commanding officers of the vessels to know each other. I want the crew to get confidence. I want Atalanta and the Indian Navy to plan the exercise together,” Serrano said.
Naval force Atalanta was established in 2008 to tackle piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia. Since then, its mandate has been expanded to counter drug trafficking and arms smuggling, and to monitor fishing activities in the Horn of Africa and the western Indian Ocean, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Since he arrived in India, Serrano and his team have visited the Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command in Mumbai and the Indian Navy headquarters and defence ministry in New Delhi for meetings with senior officials aimed at bolstering cooperation and coordination.
“We are one of the tools to keep the ocean safe and to work for the maritime security of the Indian Ocean. I came here to enhance the coordination and meet with my counterparts to make sure that we do things effectively and quickly for the good of the people. We discussed many operational issues, including piracy, and we are ready to keep working together in the Indian Ocean,” Serrano said.
Joint efforts by the Indian Navy, naval force Atalanta and the Mauritius Police Force resulted in the capture of 70 pirates last year, with Indian warships capturing 44 of them. While the level of piracy in the waters off Somalia has declined, it continues to be a threat, Serrano said.
“The threat is still there and there will be more cases [of piracy] but we will fight it,” he said.
While France remains the sole EU member state with a genuine naval presence in the Indo-Pacific, where the country has 93% of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and about 1.5 million French citizens on island territories, Serrano said he expects other member states to maintain a naval presence in the Indian Ocean.
“I do not expect an increase [but] I expect [the presence] to be maintained…Europe has an interest in the area, Europe is a good long-term partner and Europe should work for keeping this area free and open,” Serrano said.