Operation Sankalp

News:Indian Navy had commenced Maritime Security Operations code named Operation SANKALP in the Gulf Region in Jun 2019 to ensure safe passage of Indian Flag Vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.

Facts:

About Operation Sankalp:

• Indian Navy had initiated ‘Operation Sankalp in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman as a measure to ensure the safety and security of Indian ships.
• The operation was initiated in the aftermath of escalating tension in the Gulf of Oman where two oil tankers were attacked.Further,the tensions in the Middle East are again on the rise after the US had killed Iran’s major general Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike
• Indian Navy Ships INS Chennai and INS Sunayna were deployed to undertake maritime security operations in the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Persia. 
• Furthermore,Indian Naval aircraft aerial surveillance is also being carried out in the region.

About Persian Gulf:

• Persian Gulf is also called as the Arabian Gulf.The Gulf is an extension of the Indian Ocean(Gulf of Oman) through the Strait of Hormuz and lies between Iran to the northeast and the Arabian Peninsula to the southwest.
• It is bordered on the north, northeast and east by Iran, on the southeast and south by part of Oman and the United Arab Emirates; on the southwest and west by Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia and on the northwest by Kuwait and Iraq.
• The area has approximately two-thirds of the world’s estimated proven oil reserves and one-third of the world’s estimated proven natural gas reserves.
• A considerable amount of sea trade passes through the gulf, leading to heavy traffic in the region.

About Gulf of Oman:

• The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman is a gulf that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then connects to the Persian Gulf.
• It borders Iran and Pakistan on the north,Oman on the south and the United Arab Emirates on the west.
• It offers the only entrance from the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean into the Persian Gulf, thus the world’s major oil exporters and importers have a joint interest in its security.