Ensure adequate Indian control over maritime activity: PM

Mumbai, Oct 1: Voicing concern over growing incidents of piracy close to the Indian shores, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Oct 1) 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.

PTI