More needs to be done for maritime security: PM

Prime minister Manmohan Singh today emphasised the need to provide safety and security for India's shipping industry, especially in view of the growing number of attacks from pirates in the Arabian Sea.

"Any industry can thrive only in an atmosphere of safety and security," Singh said in Mumbai at the concluding function of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI).

"Incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships are a cause of concern to all of us and to the shipping industry in particular," he said.

Instances of such attacks in the Arabian Sea and more recently in the Indian Ocean, much beyond the piracy infested areas of Gulf of Aden, pose a serious threat by putting at risk a large number of Indian seafarers and Indian ships, as also the country's seaborne trade, he said.

"Our Navy, our Coast Guard and the shipping companies are putting up concerted efforts in close co-ordination with other international agencies to deal with this menace," the prime minister said. "But I suggest more needs to be done in this area to provide safety and security," he added.

While Singh paid glowing tributes to the state-owned shipping behemoth, he did not refer to the warnings of the shipping ministry that SCI was "on the brink of financial collapse."