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India, the European Union and several Indian Ocean nations will convene in New Delhi on 5 December for a high-level workshop on safeguarding submarine cables – the critical undersea infrastructure that carries 99% of intercontinental internet traffic.
The day-long Track 1.5 seminar will gather around 70 participants, including military officers and officials from India, the EU, Madagascar, the Maldives, Mauritius, Oman and the Seychelles. Representatives from the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and maritime agencies will join experts to assess vulnerabilities, map risks, and explore policy and technology solutions to protect sea cables across the Indian Ocean region.
Organised jointly by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) and the EU, the workshop is supported by the EU’s security and defence initiative ESIWA+, co-funded by the EU, Germany and France.
EU Ambassador to India Hervé Delphin said submarine cable protection has become central to the expanding EU–India maritime cooperation framework.
“Cooperation in the maritime domain is a key component of the strategic EU-India agenda,” he said. “The EU Action Plan on Cable Security offers a basis for developing joint strategies with partners like India.”
He added that Europe’s focus on the Indian Ocean is growing amid new connectivity initiatives with India, including the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
NMF Director-General Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (Retd) said undersea infrastructure has become indispensable to economic security and sovereignty. “The workshop will help foster regional maritime dialogue by identifying vulnerabilities, highlighting best practices and promoting practical, cooperative solutions,” he said.
Submarine cables, which link continents, islands and economic hubs, remain highly exposed on the seabed and difficult to monitor, making them vulnerable to intentional damage and other threats. Recent global disruptions have prompted calls for enhanced surveillance, coordinated response mechanisms and stronger international cooperation.
The seminar builds on the outcomes of the 4th EU-India Dialogue on Maritime Security and the Ministerial Meeting on Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection, held in Brussels in November. The EU currently contributes to maritime security in the region through its naval missions Atalanta and Aspides in the north-west Indian Ocean.
The workshop also aligns with the EU-India Strategic Partnership Roadmap and the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy, under which both sides have expanded defence and security engagement, including maritime domain awareness and the protection of sea lines of communication.
As part of IMEC, the EU is advancing the EU-Africa-India Digital Corridor, including the 11,700-km Blue Raman cable system linking Europe and India through the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and East Africa – intended to offer high-speed, resilient, and diversified data connectivity.
Team BharatShakti
