Will hunt down perpetrators of Merchant ship attacks even from depths of sea, take strict action: Rajnath

DAYS AFTER two merchant ships with Indian crew members came under drone attack, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday 26 Dec warned that India would “hunt down” the perpetrators, even from the “depths of the sea”, and take strict action against them.

Speaking at the commissioning of the stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal in Mumbai, Singh said the Indian government has taken the attacks on MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba “very seriously” and the Navy has increased its surveillance.

Whoever has carried out the attacks, we will hunt them down even from the depths of the sea and take strict action against them, he said.

“India’s growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred,” Singh said. “India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region touches greater heights. For this, together with our friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our Navy,” he said.

MV Chem Pluto, a chemical/ oil tanker with a crew of 21 Indians and a Vietnamese, was on its way to New Mangalore from Al Jubail (Saudi Arabia) when it came under attack on December 23, 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval, Gujarat, leading to an explosion and fire. No casualty was reported. The Liberian-flagged ship reached Mumbai on Monday.

A day after the attack, a Gabon-flagged commercial oil tanker, MV Sai Baba, on its way to India with 25 crew members, all of them Indians, also came under drone attack in the southern Red Sea, along with another Norwegian-flagged ship. There were no casualties reported.