The Indian Navy on Friday foiled a hijacking attempt on a Liberia-flagged vessel in the North Arabian Sea which had a crew of 21, including 15 Indians on board. In a video shared by the Indian Navy, the Indian Navy’s marine commandos (MARCOS) were seen carrying out “sanitisation” operations after intercepting MV Lila Norfolk. The crew members, locked inside the citadel of the vessel, were safely evacuated — a citadel refers to a designated area in a ship where the crew can seek protection in the event of a hijacking. #IndianNavy’s Swift Response to the Hijacking Attempt of MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea. All 21 crew (incl #15Indians) onboard safely evacuated from the citadel. Sanitisation by MARCOs has confirmed absence of the hijackers. The attempt of hijacking by the pirates… pic.twitter.com/616q7avNjg — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 5, 2024 The merchant vessel - MV Lila Norfolk - sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) portal, indicating that it had been boarded Thursday evening by five-six unknown armed personnel. The Indian Navy warship INS Chennai — a Kolkata Class stealth guided-missile destroyer on an anti-piracy patrol — intercepted the vessel at 3.15 pm on Friday. In another video INS Chennai is seen intercepting the hijacked vessel. According to the Indian Navy their aircraft flew over MV Lila Norfolk early Friday morning. It established contact and ascertained the safety of the crew. The INS Chennai which was on anti-piracy patrolling duty, was then diverted to assist the vessel. The Navy also said that INS Chennai helped restore power and propulsion to MV Lila Norfolk and commence her voyage to next port of call. This is the latest in a series of recent maritime incidents in the Arabian Sea. In December, the Indian 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.
