(By Anuvesh Rath)
There was a serious marine accident between the two naval forces in international waters in the North Arabian Sea when the Pakistan Navy offshore patrol vessel PNS Hunain collided with the frontline Indian Navy warship. This resulted in a series of diplomatic protests by New Delhi, which called for a formal high-level protest against the unacceptable and unprofessional conduct by the Pakistan Navy. Collision : The Pakistani patrol ship sped up and performed an extremely dangerous high-speed crossing of the bow of the Indian warship, leading to a physical collision. Aftermath : While the larger Indian warship did not suffer any damage that interfered with its mission and continued, PNS Hunain returned to its base damaged by the impact. Intent vs. seamanship : Military analysts point out that the high-speed maneuvers of the Pakistani ship raise serious questions of competence and intentions of the ship’s crew.
This occurred in the process of the Indian warship performing its routine surveillance activities about 120 nautical miles from the Gulf of Oman. Approach : As per reports, the Yarmook-class corvette PNS Hunain was following the Indian vessel, ignoring repeated warnings given by the Indian side through the international maritime communication channel VHF Channel 16. India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated that the exercise breached Article 10 of the bilateral protocol on Advance Notice of Military Exercises, Manoeuvres, and Troop Movements signed in April 1991. The historic parallel : The event is reminiscent of June 2011, when the PNS Babur of the Pakistan Navy made contact with INS Godavari of the Indian Navy in the Gulf of Aden while sailing close in a high-speed manner in almost identical circumstances.
Rule of three miles : According to the treaty, neither the warship nor submarine can sail less than three nautical miles away from each other in international waters, as it prevents accidental escalation.
