The Maritime Dimension of India's Energy Security

Energy security has become a major component of India's national security thinking and policy as its economy has begun to record high rates of growth. The criticality of ensuring access to foreign oil and gas resources will only increase with time as the gap between its demand and its domestic production widens. Furthermore, India's dependence on the seas is particularly overwhelming for its energy 'logistics' in terms of both its domestic supplies and overseas imports. With the worsening of the maritime security scenario in the oceans around Asia in recent years, as a result of low-intensity threats added to the persisting military insecurities, it becomes exigent to appraise the risk to India's vital energy supplies. This paper assesses the dominant aspects of maritime security that relate to India's energy security. Besides discussing likely military threats, the study also deals with aspects such as shipping and infrastructure capacity.