A drone strike on Saturday caused damage to a merchant ship off the coast of India, with no reported casualties, according to two maritime agencies cited by AFP. The targeted vessel, affiliated with Israel, caught fire in the Arabian Sea off India’s west coast.
Indian Defense officials shared that the Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram is en route to MV Chem Pluto, a merchant vessel located 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast. The ship reported a fire suspected to be a result of a drone attack. MV Chem Pluto, transporting crude oil from Saudi Arabia to Mangalore, was the affected vessel.
Indian Navy officials noted that navy warships in the vicinity of MV Chem Pluto are also moving towards the distressed merchant ship outside the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
While the fire on MV Chem Pluto has been extinguished, it has impacted the vessel’s functioning. ICGS Vikram, deployed for the patrol of the Indian EEZ, redirected to assist the merchant ship. All crew, including approximately 20 Indians, are reported safe. ICGS Vikram has alerted nearby ships to provide assistance.
No party has claimed responsibility for the drone strike. This incident occurs amidst a series of drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Iran has also faced accusations of carrying out attacks near its waters.
In the previous month, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was reportedly hit in a suspected drone attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean. The attacks on shipping since the start of the Israel-Hamas war have led major firms to reroute cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite increased fuel costs for longer voyages.
Houthi rebels, involved in more than 100 drone and missile attacks, have targeted merchant vessels from over 35 countries, according to the Pentagon.
