Another hijacking bid of a commercial vessel near Gulf of Aden thwarted by Indian Navy

India’s naval vessel INS Visakhapatnam has swiftly responded to a distress call made by a Merchant vessel that came under a drone attack in the Gulf of Aden on January 18th, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialists from the Indian warship boarded the ship to inspect the damage according to an official release.

The Mayday call was sent out by Marshall Islands flagged MV Genco Picardy at 11:11pm on January 17^th night, and INS Visakhapatnam intercepted the vessel within a few hours, the navy said in a statement.

The incident is the latest in a series of drone and pirate attacks on merchant vessels in the region including the Red Sea and parts of the Arabian Sea.

The merchant vessel’s crew of 22, including nine Indians, is safe and the fire on board under control.

“Indian Naval EOD specialists from INS Visakhapatnam boarded the vessel in early hours of January 18th to inspect the damaged area. EOD specialists, after a thorough inspection, have rendered the area safe for further transit. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call,” the statement added.

The Indian Navy has stepped up surveillance in the troubled region substantially and deployed task groups consisting of around 10 warships in the face of the recent attacks on India-bound merchant vessels including MV Chem Pluto and MV Saibaba.