Archive · 23 Sep 2026
India-Pakistan Naval Collision Tests 1991 Three-Mile Maritime Rule
Two naval ships from India and Pakistan came into contact at sea on September 15.
The article says they were in international waters east of Oman.
A 1991 agreement says the countries’ naval ships should stay at least three nautical miles apart.
The article argues that this distance rule was broken.
It also says the ship from Pakistan may have broken international safety rules for avoiding collisions.
Pakistan said India had provoked the incident inside Pakistan’s maritime zone.
The article responds that an Exclusive Economic Zone is not the same as territorial waters.
It says a similar encounter happened between the countries’ ships in 2011.
The incident is considered dangerous because India and Pakistan have tense relations.
PNS Hunain reportedly collided with an Indian warship on September 15 in international waters about 220 kilometers east of Oman.
The article says the contact breached Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement, which requires naval vessels to remain at least three nautical miles apart.
It also alleges violations of International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea rules governing overtaking, crossing, and evasive action.
Pakistan responded with a demarche alleging Indian provocation inside Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone and calling for adherence to bilateral agreements.
The article compares the incident with a 2011 encounter involving PNS Babur and INS Godavari, arguing that the maneuver may reflect a recurring practice.
- Who
- PNS Hunain, a Pakistani offshore patrol vessel, and an Indian warship identified in Indian accounts as a Kolkata-class destroyer.
- What
- The vessels made contact after PNS Hunain allegedly shadowed, accelerated, and crossed the Indian warship’s bow.
- When
- September 15; the article does not specify the year for this incident.
- Where
- International waters roughly 220 kilometers east of Oman, or about 119 nautical miles from the Omani coast.
- Why
- The article attributes the incident to a disputed maneuver by PNS Hunain, while Pakistan alleged Indian provocation inside its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Article’s legal assessment
Pakistan’s stated position
Responsibility for the incident
Article’s legal assessment
The article says PNS Hunain breached the three-nautical-mile rule and international collision-avoidance regulations by shadowing and crossing the Indian warship’s bow.
Pakistan’s stated position
Pakistan alleged that India provoked the incident within Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone and urged adherence to bilateral agreements designed to prevent maritime incidents.
Meaning of the Exclusive Economic Zone
Article’s legal assessment
The article argues that an Exclusive Economic Zone is not territorial water or a security cordon, and that freedom of navigation applies there.
Pakistan’s stated position
Pakistan’s demarche treated the alleged Indian activity in its Exclusive Economic Zone as a provocation requiring diplomatic objection.
- Bilateral rule
- Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement requires naval ships and submarines to remain at least three nautical miles apart in international waters.
- Treaty status
- The agreement entered into force on August 19, 1992, and was registered with the United Nations Secretariat on December 15, 1994.
- Incident location
- Approximately 220 kilometers east of Oman and about 119 nautical miles from the Omani coast.
- Pakistani vessel
- PNS Hunain, pennant F-273, is described as a Yarmook-class Batch-II offshore patrol vessel commissioned on July 26, 2024.
- Navigation rules
- The article says the incident potentially contravened the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, including rules on overtaking and crossing vessels.
- Pakistan’s response
- Pakistan lodged a mirror demarche alleging Indian provocation within its Exclusive Economic Zone.
- Previous encounter
- In June 2011, PNS Babur reportedly closed INS Godavari at speed in the Gulf of Aden and damaged part of the Indian vessel’s helicopter-deck safety netting.