138th OSCC meeting reviews offshore security

The 138th Offshore Security Coordination Committee (OSCC) meeting was held in Ahmedabad on Thursday under the Chairpersonship of Director General Indian Coast Guard, Paramesh Sivamani, to review and strengthen the security framework for India’s offshore installations and critical energy infrastructure, the Defence Ministry said on Friday.

Giving details, it said the Committee focused on enhancing maritime domain awareness, strengthening inter-agency coordination, augmenting surveillance capabilities and improving joint response mechanisms to effectively address emerging offshore security challenges.

During the meeting, deliberations were held on the evolving global and regional security environment, modern warfare dynamics, including unmanned and drone-enabled threats, and the expanding offshore exploration activities in the Andaman & Nicobar region.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Director General Hydrographer, DG Shipping, Intelligence Bureau, Oil and Natural Gas Commission and State Police forces.

The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of all stakeholders towards ensuring robust security of India’s offshore assets and critical maritime infrastructure.