Ensure tracking devices on boats: PAC to MoD

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, April 6

The Public Accounts Committee in a report today asked the Ministry of Defence to ensure tracking devices on all ships and vessels besides uniform registration of fishing vessels. More than 14 years after the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, India is still struggling to put tracking devices on almost 2.22 lakh fishing boats.

The report asked the MoD to ensure “identification and tracking of ships and a uniform system of registration of fishing vessels”. It went on to say infrastructural development needed to be completed in a time-bound manner. It sought demarcation of responsibilities of all ministries/departments and forces deployed for coastal security to ensure effective coordination and prevent system failures by the National Committee for Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS).

The NCSMCS headed by the Cabinet Secretary had laid out an elaborate plan after the 26/11 attacks. Without the tracking device, called an automated identification system (AIS) transponder, all small boats less than 20 metres in size cannot be identified as friendly or hostile when sailing. Since these 2.2 lakh fishing boats do not have the AIS tracking device, these cannot be detected by the 46 coastal radars and 74 AIS receivers put in place after 26/11.

It is not mandatory for fishing boats under 20 metres in length to install AIS transponders. Significantly, these boats dot the country’s 7,500 km-long coastline. The AIS is mandatory for vessels longer than 20 metres.