Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth today convened a high level meeting to discuss ways to sustain anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somalia coast.

The meeting held in New Delhi was attended by senior officials of several ministries including Defence, External Affairs and Shipping. AIR correspondent quoting sources reports, during the meeting, the ministries presented their views on the ongoing anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden around Somalia and how to deal with the problems there.

India has been actively involved in anti-piracy operations since late 2008 and has deployed several warships there to provide protection to cargo vessels passing through the area.

It has currently deployed INS Sukanya, an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), to tackle the menace. It has also deployed Navy and Coast Guard vessels in the Arabian Sea for anti-piracy tasks.

Indian ships have thwarted several piracy attempts in the region and apprehended a number of sea brigands in operations.