Indian Navy’s defiant posture during Operation Sindoor kept Pakistan Navy confined to coast, says Naval Chief

The Indian Navy’s assertive deployment during Operation Sindoor forced the Pakistan Navy to remain confined to its ports and close to the Makran coast, said Naval chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi in Delhi on Tuesday (December 2, 2025).

Addressing a press conference, the Navy Chief said that the operation is still underway but did not disclose any more details for strategic reasons.

He noted that it is already in the public domain that India’s rapid mobilisation and aggressive posturing, including the deployment of a Carrier Battle Group (CBG) in the northern Arabian Sea, altered the regional maritime picture almost immediately. “The Pakistan Navy remained bottled up — either in harbours at their air bases or hugging the Makran coast. It never ventured out. The Navy was ready to do whatever the situation demanded,” the officer said.

The heightened security dynamic during those crucial days also had a tangible impact on Pakistan’s economy, he said. Major global shipping companies began avoiding Pakistani ports, while insurance premiums for vessels headed to Pakistan spiked sharply, drastically reducing the number of merchant ships willing to take the risk, the officer said.

Highlighting the Navy’s operational footprint over the past year, the Naval chief said that since the last Navy Day, Indian warships have cumulatively logged 11,000 ship days and naval aircraft have flown 50,000 hours.

The Navy has also maintained an uninterrupted anti-piracy deployment along the Gulf of Aden since 2008, with 138 ships having rotated through the mission so far. These vessels have successfully escorted more than 3,700 merchant ships of various nationalities and crew sizes.

He added that since the escalation of the Red Sea crisis in November 2023, triggered by rising threats from non-state actors such as the Houthis, India has deployed 40 capital ships, along with their air-borne assets, for maritime security and escort duties.

According to the Navy’s estimate, this surge in deployment has ensured the safe movement of 152 lakh metric tonnes of cargo aboard 376 merchant vessels, valued at over $6.5 billion.

Indian warships have responded to over 30 distress incidents during this period, rescuing more than 520 sailors of various nationalities. One Indian Navy ship recently received a commendation from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for a daring rescue in which it saved nine crew members from motor tanker Prestige Falcon of Oman. The Chief of the Oman Navy also conveyed personal appreciation for the mission, he added.