Partly Because of China, India Focuses on Submarine Crisis

New Delhi: India is speeding up its navy modernisation programme and leaning on its neighbours to curb Chinese submarine activity in the Indian Ocean, as the region becomes increasingly jittery over Beijing's growing undersea prowess.

Chinese submarines have shown up in Sri Lanka and Beijing has strengthened ties with the Maldives.

China's moves reflect its determination to beef up its presence in the Indian Ocean, through which four-fifths of its oil imports pass.

"We should be worried the way we have run down our submarine fleet. But with China bearing down on us, the way it is on the Himalayas, the South China Sea and now the Indian Ocean, we should be even more worried," said Arun Prakash, former Chief of the Indian Navy.

"Fortunately, there are signs this government has woken up to the crisis," he said, "but it will take time to rebuild."

India has ordered an accelerated tendering process to build six conventional diesel-electric submarines at an estimated cost of Rs 50,000 crore ($8.1 billion), in addition to six similar submarines that French firm DCNS is assembling in Mumbai port to replace a nearly 30-year-old fleet hit by a run of accidents.

The country's first indigenously-built nuclear submarine - loaded with nuclear-tipped missiles and headed for sea trials this month - joins the fleet in late 2016. In the meantime, India is in talks with Russia to lease a second nuclear-propelled submarine, navy officials told news agency Reuters.

The government has already turned to industrial group Larsen & Toubro Ltd, which built the hull for the first submarine, to manufacture two more nuclear submarines, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

India's navy currently has only 13 ageing diesel-electric submarines, only half of which are operational at any given time due to refits. Last year, the INS Sindhuratna sank after explosions and a fire while it was docked in Mumbai.

"There are many voices in India who believe the Indian Ocean belongs solely to India, and no other country belongs there...our (China's) view is that there should be dialogue and discussion between China and India," said Ma Jiali, an expert at the China Reform Forum's Centre for Strategic Studies which is affiliated with the Central Party School.

India has engaged in intense diplomacy with Sri Lanka about the Chinese submarine presence, reminding it that New Delhi must be informed of such port calls under a maritime pact they signed this year along with the Maldives.

India has also muscled into an $8 billion deep water port that Bangladesh wants to develop in Sonadia in the Bay of Bengal, with the Adani Group submitting a proposal in October. China Harbour Engineering Company, an early bidder, was the front-runner.