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US POLITICS AFFECTS GOA AND INDIA!By Dr Olav Albuquerque
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US POLITICS AFFECTS GOA AND INDIA!By Dr Olav Albuquerque

Jan 10- Jan 16, 2025, LAW January 9, 2026 , by

THE US seizure of an empty Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked oil-tanker in the Atlantic ocean on Wednesday (Jan7) as part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to dictate oil flows in the Americas, and force Venezuela’s socialist government to become an ally, has repercussions for both Indian and Goa because the Mormugao Port has vessels which sail the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
 Mormugao is a natural port because it acts as a breakwater where huge ocean-going behemoths can seek shelter from the ocean during times of turbulence. This emerged as far back as 1943 during World War II when three German warships, Ehrenfels , Drachenfels, and Anfora were interned in neutral Goa that transmitted vital Allied shipping data to German U-boats, leading to a secret British Special Forces raid ( Operation Creek ) in March 1943.
The crew scuttled them to prevent capture, effectively blinding U-boats in the Indian ocean and securing vital supply lines, a daring covert operation with no official recognition at the time.

The Context
• Neutral Goa: At the start of WWII, Portugal’s neutrality allowed German and Italian ships to shelter in Mormugao harbor, Goa, India.
• Espionage: The ships, including German freighters Ehrenfels, Braunfels, Drachenfels, and Italian freighter Anfora, housed secret transmitters that relayed information about Allied ships leaving Bombay to German U-boats.
The Operation (Operation Creek)
• Targeting: British intelligence, specifically the Special Operations Executive (SOE), identified these ships as a major threat to shipping lanes.
• The Raid: In March 1943, members of the Calcutta Light Horse and Calcutta Scottish, under secrecy, launched a covert raid.
• Scuttling: When the raid began, the crews of Ehrenfels, Braunfels, Drachenfels, and Anfora panicked, believing they would be captured, and scuttled their own ships, sinking them.

The Aftermath
• Impact: The operation crippled U-boat activity in the Indian Ocean, securing the lifeline between India and Britain.
• Secrecy: The raid was so secret that the participants received no official recognition, and the true story remained hidden for years.
• Wrecks: The shipwrecks of Ehrenfels, Drachenfels, and Anfora remain underwater off Goa, with efforts made over the years to salvage or manage them.

COLD WAR LOOMING
FAST forward to today’s scenario where the US has directly challenged Russia. It is a throwback to the Cold War when the then President Jack Kennedy ordered the blockade of Cuba and threatened the then Soviet Union with a world war, if it did not compel its submarines to return with their deadly cargo of rockets which were to be installed in Cuba, bringing the entire United Sates within its range.
After capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the US is continuing to blockade vessels under sanctions off the South American country, a member of OPEC. The US Coast Guard and US military special forces apprehended the Marinera tanker, which had thwarted an attempt to board her last month and had switched to Russia’s flag, according to military sources.
The US operation was supported by Britain’s Royal Air Force and one of its military vessels, which UK defence secretary, John Healey, said was part of “global efforts” to crack down on sanctions busting.
With a Russian submarine and vessels nearby, the move risked more confrontation with Russia. This may ignite into World War III, dragging India and Goa into a global confrontation. Moscow has issued a strong condemnation, asserting that no country had the right to use force against vessels lawfully registered under another’s state’s jurisdiction, particularly in the high seas.
WHAT is astounding is that the US boarded the Russian-tagged vessel in the high seas, nearly 4,000 kms away from the nearest US coastline. It is well-settled international law of the sea that these are international waters where the US has no jurisdiction and Moscow can construe this as an “act of war” which justifies swift retaliation.
Whether Russia will actually retaliate, given that its forces are locked in an unending war with Ukraine, remains to be seen. If it chooses to remain passive, then we are faced with a unipolar world, where a belligerent United States under Donald Trump is “actively discussing” the purchase of Greenland” — which will be the next sovereign country, that is part of Denmark, to be annexed by the US.
Trump may allow military action in Greenland as it did in Venezuela. Behemoths docked in Mormugoa Port may feel threatened and may result in bottlenecks building up, as vessels dock here for longer periods and feel reluctant to sail to their destinations for fear of U.S. reprisals.
Russian submarines and warships hover near the Russian-flagged tanker boarded by the US. So, we will have to wait and watch to see how this affects Mormugao Port.

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