An Inter-Ministerial Group of Officers (IMGO) has been set up to deal with hostage situation arising out of the hijacking of merchant vessels with Indian crew on board.
The owners and flag administration of the hijacked vessels are contacted through Indian Missions abroad to ensure that they take suitable steps for the safety and early release of the hostages.
The Government has issued guidelines on Deployment of Armed Guards on Indian Merchant Ships. These guidelines provide the criteria for owners to contract private armed security guards for deployment on Indian merchant ships, in cases where the owners desire to do so.
The Government has initiated several preventive/mitigating security measures that are as follows:
The above information was given by the Union Minister of Shipping, Shri G.K. Vasan in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , December 19, 2011; Image: seasecurity