Indian Ocean Region: Trade Artery, Climate Stress, and Cooperative Security
1. The Indian Ocean spans Bay of Bengal to Antarctica and South Africa to Western Australia; it covers about 21.45 million square nautical miles, roughly one-fifth of Earth’s water surface.
2. The Indian Ocean Region includes 36 countries and about 2.5 billion people, around 35% of global population, forming a vast canvas linking littorals, islands, and major trade routes.
3. Roughly 100,000 ships cross the region yearly, carrying about 30% of global container traffic; maritime security is central to trade continuity and global market stability.
4. The region transports about 42% of global crude oil and petroleum products; littorals hold over half proven oil-gas reserves and contribute roughly 40% of offshore output.
5. Major refining hubs include Jubail, Jamnagar, and Singapore, together supporting about 20% of world refining capacity; Singapore alone handles near one-seventh of transshipment annually.
6. Three of the world’s twenty largest merchant fleets belong to Indian Ocean littorals; chokepoints Hormuz, Bab el Mandeb, and Malacca can rapidly raise freight and fuel costs.
7. The Indian Ocean is warming faster than other oceans; sea surface temperatures rose over 1.5°C since the industrial era, intensifying sea-level rise and extreme weather risks.
8. Projections of 1.7–3.8°C warming elevate threats to monsoon timing, rainfall extremes, fisheries, coral systems, and livelihoods across coasts, deltas, and islands.
9. Warmer waters intensify cyclones, storm surge, flooding, and wind damage; rising seas accelerate erosion and salt intrusion into aquifers and deltas, harming freshwater and agriculture.
10. Heat and acidification weaken coral reefs, reducing biodiversity and fish nurseries; warming shifts fish distribution, increasing competition among fleets and pressures on nearshore coastal incomes.
11. Low-lying islands face inundation, erosion, and freshwater loss, complicating habitation, sovereignty, land tenure, and long-term development planning under rising sea levels.
12. Recurrent floods, cyclones, and heat shocks drive migration, disrupting labour markets and services; cross-border displacement can strain diplomacy and demand humanitarian cooperation frameworks.
13. Declining fisheries and seabed mineral prospects increase rivalry; IUU fishing provokes detentions, protests, and tougher policing; shifting coastlines complicate baselines and EEZ claims.
14. Climate hazards threaten ports, refineries, pipelines, and telecom networks; disasters disrupt shipping and logistics hubs, raising insurance premiums, delaying cargo, and stressing supply chains.
15. Regional responses emphasise SAGAR, IORA, BIMSTEC, INCOIS alerts, and coalitions like ISA, CDRI, GBA, IBCA, focusing on early warning, resilient ports, nature-based defenses, and governance.
Must Know Terms :
1.Indian Ocean Trade Artery
Indian Ocean Trade Artery: The Indian Ocean is described as a trade-route “lifeline” carrying (i) about half of the world’s container ships, (ii) about one-third of global bulk cargo traffic, and (iii) about two-thirds of the world’s oil shipments. These are commonly used strategic metrics to show why disruption in the Indian Ocean quickly impacts global energy and freight prices.
2.Maritime Chokepoints
Maritime Chokepoints: Narrow passages where a disruption can block or delay huge trade flows. Key Indian Ocean-linked chokepoints include:
- Strait of Hormuz: In 2023, flows through Hormuz were “more than one-quarter” of total global seaborne traded oil; also around one-fifth of global LNG transited the strait.
- Strait of Malacca: In 2016, petroleum and other liquids transiting Malacca reached about 16 million barrels/day; at its narrowest point it is about 1.7 miles wide—making it a physical bottleneck.
3.Rapid Indian Ocean Warming
Rapid Indian Ocean Warming: Government climate assessment summaries report the tropical Indian Ocean has warmed faster than the global ocean average. Basin-wide sea surface temperature (SST) warming over 1951–2015 is cited at about 0.15°C per decade in the tropical Indian Ocean versus about 0.11°C per decade for globally averaged SST over the same period, implying faster heat accumulation in this basin.
4.Saltwater Intrusion
Saltwater Intrusion: A measurable coastal groundwater risk where saline water moves landward into freshwater aquifers. USGS explains the mechanism clearly: when too much freshwater is pumped from a coastal aquifer, the freshwater–saltwater interface migrates inland, and pumping wells near the interface can start producing saline-contaminated water. This directly affects drinking-water quality and irrigation suitability in coastal belts.
5.IUU Fishing
IUU Fishing (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated): FAO notes IUU fishing represents up to 26 million tonnes of fish caught annually. A widely used global estimate puts illegal/unreported catch in the range 11–26 million tonnes per year, with an estimated value of about US$10–23 billion, and notes that IUU can account for up to 20% of the world’s catch (higher in some fisheries). It is treated as both a conservation and transnational-crime problem.
6.CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure)
CDRI: A global coalition launched by India at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in September 2019 to strengthen resilience of infrastructure systems against climate and disaster risks. CDRI’s official “About” page states current scale as 53 member countries and 12 partner organizations, spanning governments and international bodies, to support knowledge exchange, research, and investment for disaster-resilient infrastructure.
MCQ
1. The Indian Ocean is described as the world’s:
(a) Largest oceanic basin
(b) Second largest oceanic basin
(c) Third largest oceanic basin
(d) Fifth largest oceanic basin
2. The Indian Ocean is stated to cover about:
(a) 11.45 million sq nautical miles
(b) 21.45 million sq nautical miles
(c) 31.45 million sq nautical miles
(d) 41.45 million sq nautical miles
3. The Indian Ocean Region includes about:
(a) 16 countries and 1.5 billion people
(b) 26 countries and 2.0 billion people
(c) 36 countries and 2.5 billion people
(d) 46 countries and 3.5 billion people
4. About how many ships cross the region yearly?
(a) 10,000
(b) 50,000
(c) 100,000
(d) 250,000
5. The region carries about what share of global container traffic?
(a) 10%
(b) 20%
(c) 30%
(d) 50%
6. The region transports about what share of global crude oil and petroleum products?
(a) 22%
(b) 32%
(c) 42%
(d) 62%
7. Indian Ocean littorals are stated to hold:
(a) Less than 10% of proven oil-gas reserves
(b) About one-third of proven reserves
(c) More than half of proven reserves
(d) Nearly all proven reserves
8. The listed refining hubs together support about what share of world refining capacity?
(a) 5%
(b) 10%
(c) 20%
(d) 35%
9. Singapore alone is stated to handle near:
(a) One-tenth of global transshipment
(b) One-seventh of global transshipment
(c) One-fourth of global transshipment
(d) One-third of global transshipment
10. Which set of chokepoints is explicitly highlighted?
(a) Suez, Panama, Gibraltar
(b) Hormuz, Bab el Mandeb, Malacca
(c) Dover, Bosporus, Sunda
(d) Bering, Drake, Torres
11. Sea surface temperatures are stated to have increased by over:
(a) 0.5°C
(b) 1.0°C
(c) 1.5°C
(d) 2.5°C
12. Future warming projections are stated as:
(a) 0.7–1.8°C
(b) 1.7–3.8°C
(c) 2.7–4.8°C
(d) 3.7–5.8°C
13. Sea-level rise is linked in the passage to:
(a) Reduced salt intrusion
(b) Increased salt intrusion into aquifers and deltas
(c) Permanent freshwater expansion
(d) Elimination of coastal erosion
14. IUU fishing is described as causing:
(a) Stock recovery and lower policing
(b) Depleted stocks and increased detentions/policing
(c) Only tourism losses
(d) No revenue impacts
15. As IORA chair (2025–2027), India prioritises:
(a) Space governance only
(b) Ocean governance and disaster risk reduction
(c) Arctic shipping expansion
(d) Currency union formation
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