Indian Navy Provides EOD, Medical Assistance To Merchant Ship Attacked In Gulf Of Aden

indian navy provides eod, medical assistance to merchant ship attacked in gulf of aden

New Delhi: An Indian warship provided critical assistance to a merchant vessel after it caught fire following a suspected drone or missile attack in the Gulf of Aden, the latest in a series of such support missions in the region.

Palau Flagged MV Islander caught fire after an attack by likely drone/ missile on Thursday. Responding swiftly to the Distress call, Indian Navy’s destroyer, mission deployed in the Gulf of Aden for maritime security operations, arrived in vicinity of the vessel in the Thursday afternoon.

Indian Naval EOD specialists embarked the vessel and sanitised it for any residual risk. The vessel was cleared for onward transit.

On Master’s request, Medical team also embarked the ship and provided medical assistance to an injured crew member.

“Relentless efforts by Indian Naval ships reaffirms Indian Navy’s steadfast commitment towards safety and security of merchant shipping and seafarers,” Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

In the last few weeks, the Indian Navy extended assistance to a number of merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean following attacks on them.

The Indian Navy, earlier this month, foiled a piracy attempt on an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with a crew of 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani nationals along the east coast of Somalia.

In January, an Indian warship rescued 19 Pakistani crew members of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel after it was attacked by pirates in the east coast of Somalia.

The Navy on January 5 thwarted an attempted hijacking of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all its crew members.

Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India’s west coast on December 23.

The Navy has already enhanced deployment of its frontline ships and surveillance aircraft for maritime security operations in view of the maritime environment in the critical sea lanes, including in the north and central Arabian Sea.