Indian Navy responds after drone attack on merchant vessel carrying 22

In a statement, the Navy said that INS Visakhapatnam, a mission deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations, swiftly responded to a distress call by Marshall Island flagged MV Genco Picardy following a drone attack at 11.11 pm on Wednesday. “INS Visakhapatnam, undertaking anti-piracy patrol in Gulf of Aden, acknowledged the distress call and intercepted the vessels at 0030 hrs on 18 January, in order to provide assistance,” the Navy said.

As per the Navy, Indian Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team specialists from INS Visakhapatnam boarded the vessel to inspect the damaged area. It said the EOD specialists, after a thorough inspection, declared the area safe for further transit and the vessel was proceeding to the next port of call.

This is the latest in a series of recent maritime incidents in the Arabian Sea. In December last year, the Navy, responding to a piracy incident, had assisted a Malta-flagged vessel, MV Ruen, in the Arabian Sea, around 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast.

On December 23, 2023, a Liberia-flagged merchant vessel, MV Chem Pluto, carrying a crew of 22, of which 21 were Indians, came under a drone attack around 220 nautical miles southwest of Porbandar, while it was on its way to New Mangalore.

An analysis of the area of attack carried out by the Navy and debris found on the ship pointed towards a drone attack and further forensic and technical analysis was recommended to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used.

A day after the MV Chem Pluto incident, a Gabon-flagged commercial oil tanker, MV Sai Baba, on its way to India with 25 Indian crew members also came under a drone attack in the southern Red Sea, along with another Norwegian-flagged ship.

Earlier in January, the Navy had foiled a hijacking attempt on a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea.

In the wake of these incidents, the Navy increased maritime security and surveillance in the Central and North Arabian Sea by deploying frontline destroyers, frigates as well as long-range maritime patrol aircraft.

Around 10-12 warships are currently deployed in the Arabian Sea –including INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, INS Kolkata, INS Chennai, and a Talwar Class frigate. Along with the warships, P8I maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9B Predator drones, and Dornier aircraft are also carrying out enhanced surveillance of the region.

The Navy is involved in the active investigation of vessels in the Arabian Sea, including the boarding of dhows.