The Indian Navy on Sunday said it has substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in north and central Arabian Sea , in the backdrop of recent maritime security incidents on merchant vessels.

The Indian Navy said task groups, comprising destroyers and frigates, have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident.

"Aerial surveillance by long-range maritime patrol aircraft and RPAs has been enhanced to have a complete maritime domain awareness. Towards effective surveillance of EEZ, Indian Navy is operating in close coordination with Coast Guard," the Indian Navy said.

Merchant vessels transitioning through the international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Gulf of Adan and Central/North Arabian Sea have witnessed maritime security incidents in the recent past. "The piracy incident on MV Ruen, approximately 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast and the recent drone attack on MV Chem Pluto, approximately 220 nautical miles South West of Porbandar, indicates a shift in maritime incidents closer to the Indian EEZ," it said.

The Indian Navy said it was closely monitoring the overall situation, in coordination with the national maritime agencies.

The US claimed that the strike on MV Chem Pluto was fired from Iran, however, Tehran has denied the accusations. Former ambassador KC Singh said there is no possibility of Iran directly sending a drone to attack an Indian ship.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have suggested that they will attack any vessel linked to Israel or carrying something to Israel that conflicts with Hamas.

The Rea Sea is the entry point for ships using the Suez Canal, which handles about 12% of worldwide trade and is vital for the movement of goods between Asia and Europe. Houthi attacks have seen some ships rerouted around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, substantially increasing sailing time and costs.