In the series of continuing attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Indian Navy’s destroyer INS Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call by Marshall Island flagged Merchant Vessel (MV) Genco Picardy following a drone attack at 11.11 p.m. on January 17.
No casualties have been reported and the vessel is now heading to the next port of call. The attack comes even as the U.S.-led coalition continues strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen meant to “degrade” their capabilities.
“INS Visakhapatnam, undertaking anti piracy patrol in Gulf of Aden, acknowledged the distress call and intercepted the vessels at 00.30 hours on January 18, 2024 in order to provide assistance. MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew, nine Indian, reported nil casualties and fire under control,” the Navy said in a statement on January 18.
The Indian Navy currently has around 12 warships deployed the Arabian Sea area for anti-piracy and maritime security duties.
The Navy further said that Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists from the warship boarded the vessel in early hours of Thursday to inspect the damaged area and after a thorough inspection have “rendered the area safe for further transit.” “The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call,” the Navy added.
This is the latest in a series of drone attacks or hijacking attempts of Indian-flagged or foreign flagged vessels with Indian crew. Since the Israeli offensive in Gaza, there have been a series of attacks on merchant ships from Houthi rebels in Yemen in the Red Sea as well as Arabian Sea including few instances where Indian-crewed vessels headed to India were hit by drones, m.v. Chem Pluto and m.v. Sai Baba.
Latest U.S. strikes
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Thursday morning that on January 17 at approximately 11.59 p.m. (Sanaa time), they conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi controlled areas in Yemen.
“These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time, prompting U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves,” USCENTCOM said in a post on X. “These strikes, along with other actions we have taken, will degrade the Houthi’s capabilities to continue their reckless attacks on international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden,” it stated.
In a related development, on January 17, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, announced the designation of Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
Analysing debris
Speaking in Hyderabad last week, Indian Navy Chief Adm R. Hari Kumar said there were 35 drone attacks in the last 40 to 42 days, on ships and the target was Israel owned ships or those linked to Israel, and mainly in Red Sea, North Arabian Sea, and Central Arabian Sea. He further said that Indian Navy has collected samples of debris from three vessels (which were attacked) and is examining them forensically to identify the origin of the attack.
In the first week of January, Indian Navy MARCOs (Marine Commandos) onboard destroyer INS boarded a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier m.v. Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea and rescued the crew, includes 15 Indians and six Philippines, locked themselves in the citadel, after it was boarded by pirates, successfully foiling a hijacking attempt.
In December, Malta-flagged tanker m.v. Ruen, with 18 crew onboard, was hijacked by Somali pirates approximately 700 miles from the Indian coast and the vessel is currently off the coast of Somalia.
In response to these incidents, Indian Navy has substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in Central and North Arabian Sea and augmented force levels. Task groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident and aerial surveillance by long-range maritime patrol aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles has been enhanced to have a complete maritime domain awareness.
