Topic3 stories
Maritime security
Every story on Maritime security in the news so far, newest first, with the key Prelims facts and the previous-year questions UPSC has asked on it.
In the news
- Defence Ministry signs ₹53,866 crore contracts for eight Navy-designed corvettes 3 November 2026 · The Hindu
Navy designers drew the ships, two public shipyards bid to build them. What does that say about Aatmanirbhar warships?
- Pakistani corvette collides with Indian warship; India cites the 1991 military pact 17 September 2026 · The Hindu
Two navies were meant to stay three nautical miles apart. What happens when a 35-year-old safety rule is broken?
- Houthis seize Yemen's Red Sea port of Mokha, close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait 11 September 2026 · The Hindu
A coffee port that gave 'mocha' its name is now a frontline on a vital sea lane. Why does India care?
Key facts
- On 2 November 2026 the Defence Ministry signed ₹53,866.50 crore contracts for eight Next Generation Corvettes. (3 November 2026)
- GRSE (Kolkata) will build five and Goa Shipyard Limited three; both are defence public sector undertakings chosen through competition. (3 November 2026)
- PNS Hunain, a Pakistan Navy corvette, collided with an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea; India called the manoeuvre "unsafe and unprofessional". (17 September 2026)
- Article 10 of the India-Pakistan agreement of 6 April 1991 requires warships and submarines of both sides to stay at least three nautical miles apart in international waters. (17 September 2026)
- The Houthis captured Mokha, a Red Sea port in Yemen's Taiz Governorate, on 10 September 2026; government-aligned forces had held it since February 2017. (11 September 2026)
- Mokha is the first port north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is about 26 km wide at its narrowest. (11 September 2026)
Previous-year questions
- 2026 · GS2 · 10 marks "IPMDA (Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness) bridges the gap between India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision and the Quad's collective Indo-Pacific strategy." Make a critical…
- 2026 · GS1 · 15 marks "The centre of global trade is gradually shifting from the Atlantic region to the Indo-Pacific region." Examine this statement.
- 2025 · GS2 · 15 marks "Energy security constitutes the dominant kingpin of India's foreign policy, and is linked with India's overarching influence in Middle Eastern countries." How would you integrate energy security with India's foreign…
- 2022 · GS3 · 10 marks What are the maritime security challenges in India? Discuss the organisational, technical and procedural initiatives taken to improve maritime security.
- 2017 · GS2 · 15 marks The question of India's Energy Security constitutes the most important part of India's economic progress. Analyze India's energy policy cooperation with West Asian Countries.
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marks Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the defence sector is now set to be liberalized: What influence this is expected to have on Indian defence and economy in the short and long run?
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marks In 2012, the longitudinal marking for high-risk areas for piracy was moved from 65 degrees east to 78 degrees east in the Arabian Sea by the International Maritime Organisation. What impact does this have on India's…