Offshore Patrol Vessels are the workhorses of maritime security. Discuss their role in addressing non-traditional maritime threats in India's EEZ and the wider Indian Ocean Region.

Non-traditional maritime threats include piracy, smuggling, attacks on offshore installations and disasters at sea. Countering them depends on ships staying at sea for long periods, more than on heavy firepower. Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) are mid-sized ships built for endurance, so they suit this work. They take over policing-type tasks, which leaves frontline warships free for combat.

Role within India's EEZ

• Protecting offshore assets: The ~3,000-tonne Next Generation OPVs (NGOPVs) are designed to guard oil rigs, platforms and installations [2].
• Coastal defence and surveillance: Regular patrols keep ships visible at sea, which discourages smuggling and infiltration into the EEZ [2].
• Search and rescue (SAR): OPVs respond to fishermen and merchant ships in distress [1].

Role in the wider IOR

• Anti-piracy: NGOPVs are meant to operate in international waters as well as the EEZ [2]. The Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022 gives the legal power to board, arrest and seize ships on the high seas beyond the EEZ [3].
• HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief): This is a listed role [1]. It strengthens India's image as the region's first responder.
• Indigenous capacity: In 2023, the Ministry of Defence contracted 11 NGOPVs under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category, split between GSL and GRSE [4]. Shreyas, GRSE's last hull, was launched on 10 October 2026 [1].

Constraints

• Ageing fleets: CAG found that almost half the Coast Guard's Advanced OPVs were running on extended life because their replacements had not arrived [5].
• Delivery lag: Deliveries were due to start in September 2026 [4]. So far only launches have been reported, and a launch is not a delivery.
• Parallel programmes: The Coast Guard is building its own NGOPVs at Mazagon Dock [6]. Two forces ordering similar ships at the same time compete for limited shipyard capacity.

OPVs connect coastal policing with blue-water naval power, and they are cheap enough to keep at sea for long periods. To make full use of them, India should track delivery dates, not only launches. The Navy and Coast Guard should also plan their OPV fleets together and share out tasks clearly. Done well, this would let OPVs support the SAGAR vision of security and growth for all in the region and make India a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.