How Pavit breached 3-tier security

After MT Pavit ran aground off Juhu beach on Sunday, serious questions about coastal security have resurfaced.

The merchant tanker was abandoned and unmanned near the Ras Al Madrakah coast of Oman but it drifted towards the Arabian Ocean region where huge shipping traffic is observed.

Passing from countries like United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, Pavit drifted to India after one-month journey and ran aground off Juhu beach.

After the 26/11 attack when the terrorists entered the city through the sea route, the entire western coastal security was given a thorough overhaul.

In addition to the main three-tier security comprising the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and coastal police, the customs and fishermen were roped in to help the coastal police with patrolling. Fishermen, who have a formidable presence in the seas in the non-monsoon seasons, were instructed to alert the coastal police or Coast Guard in case of any suspicious activity.

The Indian Navy is the apex agency responsible for coastal security assisted by other agencies such as the Coast Guard and police wings of respective states.

But the easy entry of the unmanned ship has brought to the forefront serious security lapses.

First, MT Pavit missed the eye of Naval warships patrolling in high seas, especially in the Arabian sea region. Naval warships, other than keeping check through radio transmitters and navigational communication systems, also regularly conduct reconnaissance and surveillance by helicopters mounted on the warships. The helicopters regularly carry out sorties to ensure that the shipping traffic is smooth.

After crossing the high seas and the Exclusive Economic Zone, MT Pavit again went unnoticed by the Coast Guard ships. Coast Guard use helicopters and Dornier aircraft to carry out search and rescue operations.

The third layer of coastal security which MT Pavit eluded was the state police.

The state police have acquired offshore patrol vessel, interceptor crafts and also amphibian vessels to carry out patrolling in shallow waters.

Officials blamed the lapses in coastal security to the lack of coordination among security agencies of the Centre and the state agencies.

Marine Police, Coast Guards and the Navy are the prime security agencies responsible for managing the security at the coastal level. These agencies have their own set-ups to gather intelligence and they even share a part of it with the nodal agency or with the Multi-Agency Centre.

A police officer, requesting anonymity, said: “Each agency has its own concerns and reasons to share only a limited part and specific type of information and intelligence gathered by them.”

He said that most of the times these agencies fail to share precise information with the nodal agency. 

“For instance, there are limitations in sharing the information about technical intelligence and human intelligence. The capabilities to read and assess destroyed hard disks and to analyse the voice over internet protocols are also an issue.”

The information gathered is shared with the nodal agency, which has to eventually filter it and pass it to the other agencies.

“The drifting of MT Pavit on Mumbai shore is a classic example of lack of coordination. This vessel should have been observed and reported much before it could have come close to the Mumbai shore, but no agency so far has taken the responsibility for this lapse,” said a marine security official.

Experts say MT Pavit did not take any particular channel to reach the coastline.

“Being an unmanned ship, MT Pavit could have gone unnoticed or unchecked as many a times ships stop in the sea for small repairs and maintenance and thus officials would not have checked it. All the ships passing and going out are not checked, it is not possible and there are many rules which we have to adhere to,” said a defence spokesperson.