New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS): The Indian Navy has thwarted 44 piracy attempts and apprehended 120 pirates in the Gulf of Aden, a visible demonstration of country's efforts towards guaranteeing safe and secure seas, Navy chief, Admiral Karambir Singh said on Tuesday.

At a press conference on the eve of Navy Day, he said: "Since 2008, 75 Indian Naval warships have been deployed, which have safely escorted more than 3,440 (including 413 Indian flagged) ships with over 25,062 Indian mariners."

The Navy Day, celebrated on December 4, commemorates the success of Operation Trident, which saw nissile boats of the Indian Navy's Killer squadron, undertaking a daring attack on Karachi on December 4, 1971 that left the port ablaze.

Admiral Singh also said two years ago, Indian Navy had recalibrated operational deployment philosophy with an aim to enhance presence and mission-readiness across areas of maritime interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

"Not only has this resulted in increasing our footprint and strategic domain awareness of the vast maritime expanse of IOR but also enabled rapid deployment of our units to address emerging security challenges across the region including Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance to IOR littorals. We have also tailored our maintenance and training philosophy to support this operational pattern," he stressed.

Indian Navy also remains steadfast in its commitment towards curbing the menace of maritime piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

In addition to the anti-piracy deployment, Indian Navy was also one of the first maritime forces to respond to the security situation in the Gulf of Hormuz earlier this year.

The navy chief also said that ever since, "we have maintained an unbroken presence in the region escorting approximately 82 lakh tonnes of cargo onboard 74 Indian flagged merchant vessels".