Israel-Linked Vessel, With 20 Indians Onboard, Hit By Drone Strike Near Indian Coast Indian Navy Warships Reaching Site

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "On Saturday, a drone strike damaged a merchant ship off the coast of India on Saturday but caused no casualties, AFP quoted two maritime agencies. One of the vessels is an Israel-affiliated merchant ship, which was struck by the unmanned drone, causing a fire, within the vessel in the Arabian Sea off India's west coast.
Indian Defense officials said that Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram is moving towards a merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea, 217 nautical miles off Porbandar coast, after it reported a fire incident suspected to be caused by a drone attack defense officials also said that the vessel has crude oil and was going towards Mangalore from a port in Saudi Arabia Navy officials informed that Indian Navy warships in the vicinity of MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea are also moving towards the merchant ship in the outside Indian EEZ.
“Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram is moving towards a merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea 217 nautical miles off Porbandar cost after it reported a fire incident suspected to be caused by a drone attack. The vessel has crude oil and was going towards Mangalore from a port in Saudi Arabia\", Indian Navy officials informed.\"As per inputs received, the fire has been extinguished but it has affected its functioning. The ICGS Vikram was deployed on the patrol of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone when it was directed towards the merchant ship in distress. All crew are safe which includes around 20 Indians. The ICGS Vikram has alerted all ships in the area to provide assistance to it,” the Defence officials added, Indian Navy officials informed that the Indian Navy's P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft has established communication with the distressed vessel MV Chem Pluto after taking off from INS Hansa naval air base in Goa.
“The Indian Navy warship is moving towards the vessel and is expected to reach the merchant ship in the next few hours”, Navy officials said was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strike which came amid a flurry of drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on a vital shipping lane in the Red Sea has also been accused of carrying out attacks near its waters month, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was hit in a suspected drone attack by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean, according to a US official Malta-flagged vessel managed by an Israeli-affiliated company was reportedly damaged when the unmanned aerial vehicle exploded close to it, according to Ambrey attacks on shipping since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 have prompted major firms to reroute their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite the higher fuel costs of much longer voyages Houthi rebels have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries, according to the Pentagon.(With agency inputs)

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