The vessel was struck by a drone in the Arabian Sea (Representational)
New Delhi:
Twenty Indians are on the ship hit by a drone off Gujarat, news agency ANI reported quoting defence officials. The incident comes days after the Indian Navy evacuated a sailor from a Malta-flagged cargo vessel hijacked by six “pirates”.
Here’s what we know so far about the incident:
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All crew members, including around 20 Indians, are safe.
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Merchant ship MV Chem Pluto, a Liberia-flagged oil tanker, set sail from a port in Saudi Arabia with crude oil. It was headed for Mangalore when it was struck by a drone in the Arabian Sea 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast.
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The attack caused a fire onboard, the officials said. As the vessel sent out an SOS for the fire, an Indian Coast Guard ship, ICGS Vikram, was moved towards the vessel, the officials said, adding that the fire has been extinguished but it has affected the vessel’s functioning.
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ICGS Vikram was on patrol of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone when it was directed towards the merchant ship in distress. It then alerted all ships in the area to extend assistance to the affected vessel.
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According to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, “authorities were investigating” the incident, reported news agency AFP.
