Gurugram: The ongoing Gulf crisis could extend eastward from the Strait of Hormuz towards the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Navy-hosted Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram, has said.
This could mean greater involvement of the Indian Navy that has already deployed additional assets in the region.
The IFC-IOR has representatives from more than 20 countries, sharing data on commercial shipping to create a common picture.
“Dynamics around the Strait of Hormuz continue to evolve as threat activity expands eastward,” the IFC-IOR said in its update on Tuesday night, as reported by The Tribune.
This assessment is based on six shipping incidents that were monitored East of the Strait of Hormuz, particularly in the approaches to the Gulf of Oman. If the throat does expand, It would have sustained pressure on energy and commodity supply chains, with war risk insurance premiums remaining elevated.
The Indian Navy has already deployed warships to escort LPG and crude tankers after they exit the vital Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman. Sources have said that six to eight ships are now on duty for the Hormuz crisis, besides surveillance aircraft and UAVs.
The Indian Navy originally had three warships deployed in the region. After Sunday, it is maintaining two task forces there, sources have said.
This is being done independently without New Delhi joining any multi-country coalition like the one proposed by US president Donald Trump.
While the exact kind of assets deployed is not known, officials have said they will remain active as more LPG and crude oil tankers exit Hormuz.
India has stationed three frontline warships in the Gulf of Oman just outside the Hormuz to escort Indian LPG cargoes over the past few days. These warships are receiving live feed from own onboard radars, besides remaining connected to various indigenous satellites, maritime surveillance aircraft and drones.
Originally, the Indian Navy had two warships stationed in the sea south of the Saudi Arabian Peninsula. While one of these was deployed in the Gulf of Aden since 2008, for anti-piracy operations, the second one was stationed in the Gulf of Oman since 2019.
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz led to the addition of another warship. While these warships have the option to refuel and restock at the Omani ports of Duqm and Salalah, there is also the option of sending a fleet tanker with fuel and rations for mid-sea replenishment.
