India sends warship to hijacked freighter After receiving a distress call from a freighter with an Indian crew, the Indian Navy has initiated a pursuit with the destroyer “Chennai.” According to British reports, the commercial vessel was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on Thursday.
Off the coast of Somalia in the Arabian Sea, a freighter with an Indian crew has been hijacked. The Indian Navy stated that it had initiated a pursuit and is closely monitoring the situation after receiving a distress call. The destroyer “Chennai” is approaching the “MV Lila Norfolk” to provide assistance.
According to reports from the Indian news agency ANI, there are at least 15 Indian crew members on board the “Lila Norfolk” flying the Liberian flag. Crew reported to be unharmed
The Navy did not provide any information on whether the cargo ship is currently in the hands of hijackers. However, they stated that a patrol flight had confirmed the crew’s well-being.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that five to six armed individuals had boarded the ship approximately 460 nautical miles east of the Somali city of Eyl. According to the captain, the crew had taken refuge in the ship’s citadel.
In late December, India announced the deployment of three warships and a surveillance aircraft to the Arabian Sea following a series of attacks on merchant ships. Somali coast remains a piracy hotspot
The coast off the crisis-ridden state of Somalia was a piracy hotspot a few years ago. As a result of the EU mission “Atalanta” launched in 2008 to combat piracy in the region, the number of attacks significantly decreased.
According to the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre, the most recent attack occurred on December 14 when a freighter was hijacked and redirected towards Somalia.
Somalia is located on the Horn of Africa, across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have been repeatedly targeting ships in the Red Sea since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict to obstruct their passage towards Israel.
The Red Sea is considered one of the most important shipping routes for global trade as it connects the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal in Egypt to the Indian Ocean. Many shipping companies are currently rerouting their ships and avoiding the Red Sea.