New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) Terror emanating from sea would be a focus as 13 navies gather under the aegis of 'Milan' exercise, an initiative of the Indian Navy, the scope of which has expanded from regional navies to a gathering of Asian-Pacific countries.

The 7th edition of the biennial Milan exercise, starting Feb 5, is the largest of the series.

'This is the largest Milan exercise we will be conducting. Thirteen navies will deliberate on issues like anti-piracy, armed robbery, poaching, how to combat maritime terror and prevent attacks like that happened in Mumbai,' a senior Indian Navy official said Monday.

'The national experience of each navy on poaching, especially when we have intersecting maritime boundaries, will be shared,' he said.

The navies of Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Phillipines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam would be participating in the exercise.

Of the 13, eight are sending ships while the remaining will be represented by their delegations.

Various countries will also present papers on the issue of 'Navies in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief' in a day-long seminar.

The Indian Navy will be fielding four or five ships in the exercise.

The exercise started in 1995 with four countries participating.