NEW DELHI: Indian Navy commandos have boarded a hijacked Liberian-flagged vessel within the Arabian Sea and at the moment are finishing up “sanitisation” operations, the navy stated on Friday (Jan 5), with out elaborating.
An Indian Navy warship intercepted the MV Lila Norfolk on Friday afternoon, lower than a day after the navy obtained information that it had been hijacked off Somalia’s coast within the North Arabian Sea.
At the least 15 Indian crew members had been on board the vessel, which was hijacked close to Somalia’s coast and the navy obtained details about it on Thursday night, Indian information company ANI, wherein Reuters has a minority stake, reported earlier, citing navy officers.
The warship INS Chennai was diverted and deployed to help the vessel, the navy stated earlier within the day, including {that a} naval plane overflew the hijacked vessel on Friday and had established contact with it.
The Indian navy has elevated its surveillance of the Arabian Sea after a current spate of assaults within the area.
It stated earlier this week that it had investigated numerous fishing vessel and boarded vessels of curiosity within the area.
The hijacking of economic ships and tried hijackings by suspected pirates close to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea areas resumed in December after a six-year lull. Specialists consider it is because naval forces led by the US have diverted their consideration to the Pink Sea to thwart Houthi assaults.
