Tag: Arabian Sea

Pakistan

Navy Rescues 23 Pakistanis From Somali Pirates In Arabian Sea Ops

By LokMarg

At least 23 Pakistani nationals were rescued from the clutches of Somali pirates during a daring 12-hour-long operation in the Arabian Sea, said the Indian Navy.

The dramatic rescue unfolded in the early hours of March 29, 2024, when the Indian Navy warship INS Sumedha intercepted the hijacked vessel, FV Al-Kambar, as it was being held captive by pirates. Acting swiftly, INS Sumedha was soon joined by the guided missile frigate INS Trishul to bolster the operation.

Utilising their tactical expertise and strategic coordination, Indian naval forces initiated negotiations with the pirates, compelling them to surrender without bloodshed. The surrender marked a decisive victory for the Indian Navy in combating piracy and ensuring the safety of maritime activities in the region.

Following the successful apprehension of the pirates, Indian Naval specialist teams embarked on the FV Al-Kambar to undertake thorough sanitisation and seaworthiness checks. These meticulous examinations aim to ensure the vessel’s safety before escorting it to a secure area, enabling the resumption of normal fishing activities for its crew.

On Friday evening, the Indian Navy responded to a potential piracy attack on an Iranian fishing vessel in the Arabian Sea, and diverted two naval ships to intercept the hijacked vessel.

The Indian Navy received input regarding a potential piracy incident onboard the Iranian fishing vessel ‘Al Kambar’.

Following this, two Indian Naval ships deployed in Arabian Sea for maritime security operations were diverted to intercept the hijacked fishing vessel.

At the time of the incident, the Iranian vessel was approximately 90 Nm south-west of Socotra and was reported to have been boarded by nine armed pirates.

The hijacked fishing vessel was intercepted on March 29.

“Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring maritime security in the region and safety of seafarers, irrespective of nationalities,” the statement added.

Notably, the Indian Navy has carried out several high-octane operations against piracy attacks lately. Earlier this month, the Indian Navy in a daring operation, intercepted the under-attack pirate ship Ruen, sailing almost 2600 km from the shores of the Indian Coast, and forced the pirate ship to stop through calibrated actions.

The Indian Navy reiterated its unwavering commitment to maintaining maritime security and ensuring the safety of seafarers navigating through these perilous waters. This action by the Indian Navy serves as a testament to India’s resolve to combat piracy and uphold international maritime laws, the Indian Navy said in a statement. (ANI)

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Rajnath Indian Cargo

India Cargo Vessel Attackers Will Be Dealt With: Rajnath

By LokMarg

The government has taken the recent drone attack on a ship in the Arabian Sea very seriously, and, whoever carried out the strike will be tracked down and dealt with, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Mumbai on Tuesday.

“Nowadays turbulence in the sea has increased a lot. India’s growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Government of India has taken the recent drone attack on ‘MV Chem Pluto’ in the Arabian Sea and the earlier attack on ‘MV Sai Baba’ in the Red Sea very seriously. The Indian Navy has increased surveillance on the sea. Whoever has carried out this attack, we will find them even if it is from the seabed. Those behind these attacks would be brought to justice,” the Defence Minister said.

India plays the role of being the net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region, Rajnath said adding that the Indian government will ensure that the maritime trade in this region rises from the sea to the heights of the sky.

With the friendly countries, India will keep the Sea Lanes safe and secure for maritime commerce, he said.

Singh was the chief guest at the commissioning of INS Imphal at the Naval Dockyard. The event was attended by Chief of Naval Staff R Hari Kumar, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, and other senior officers.

“I believe that the commissioning of INS IMPHAL will further strengthen India’s naval power. It has been named after IMPHAL, which represents the Glory of the Northeast. It was sanctioned in Delhi, which is in North India,” the Raksha Mantri said while addressing Navy senior officers and the public during the event.

“The 15B project under which INS IMPHAL comes includes the names of four big cities of the country, i.e. Visakhapatnam, Murmugaon, Imphal and Surat. INS IMPHAL itself comes under the Visakhapatnam class, representing South India. It was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, which is in Mumbai, i.e. Western India. So it could be said the glory of North-South, East-West is reflected in INS IMPHAL, which goes to further showcase the country’s unity and integrity of India,” the Raksha Mantri added.

He said, in his view, one of the biggest features of INS IMPHAL is that it has been completely conceptualised, designed and constructed in India, further affirming the larger goal of ‘Make in India’.

Brahmos Aerospace has installed Brahmos missile on INS IMPHAL while Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has installed torpedo tube launchers on it. Rapid gun mount has been installed by BHEL. Medium-range missiles have been installed by BEL. Apart from this, many start-ups were also involved in its construction. Inputs from MSMEs have also been included in this. Basically, INS IMPHAL has been created by a combination of different forces of India, Rajnath said.

“Recently, Prime Minister Modi met the Navy colleagues in Sindhudurg and for a long time, only land-based threats to the western and northern borders were given priority. Due to this, attention was given to the Army and Air Force, but not that much attention was given to the Navy. But under the leadership of the Prime Minister, his vision underlined the importance of the Navy, and today the Navy is getting equal attention as the rest of the armed forces of India,” he said.

INS IMPHAL reflects India’s growing maritime power. Rajanth expressed confidence that INS IMPHAL will further strengthen the principle of ‘Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya’, which stands for, “He who rules over the seas is all powerful”, in the Indo-Pacific region. (ANI)

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Coast Guard ship Vikram in the Arabian Sea

Distressed Merchant Ship Being Escorted To Indian Shores By ICGS Vikram

By LokMarg

The India-bound merchant vessel, ‘which came under attack by a drone’, is being escorted back to native shores by Coast Guard ship Vikram in the Arabian Sea, officials said on Sunday.

According to officials, the merchant ship, hit by a suspected drone on Sunday, requested to be escorted by the ICGS Vikram. Both are expected to reach off the Mumbai coast on Monday.

Indian Coast Guard Dorniers are also airborne to keep an eye on the merchant vessels and carry out surveillance in the area, officials added.

A Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters earlier that the motor vessel, CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker, was struck at approximately 10 am local time (6 am GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy said earlier it has opened an investigation into whether the drone used to attack the vessel was launched from long-range or a nearby vessel.

The incident comes as the latest illustration of the growing regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

The Pentagon said this was the “seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021”.

MV Chem Pluto, with 20 Indian and one Vietnamese crew member on Saturday caught fire after it was attacked by a suspected drone. It was later secured by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the ICG said in an official statement.

The merchant vessel reportedly commenced its voyage from the UAE on December 19 and was bound for New Mangalore port with an arrival date of December 25.

According to the official statement, on December 23, the Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received information regarding a fire onboard MV Chem Pluto, reportedly attacked by a suspected drone strike or aerial platform.

The Indian Coast Guard Maritime Coordination Centre (MRCC), which established real-time communication with the vessel’s agent, ascertained no loss of life and assured all assistance.

It was also learned that the vessel fire had been doused by the crew. To augment the vessel’s safety, MRCC Mumbai has activated ISN and immediately diverted other merchant vessels in the vicinity of Chem Pluto for assistance.

“The Indian Coast Guard also pressed Offshore Patrol vessel Vikram and Coast Guard Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft into action for rendering assistance to Chem Pluto. The Coast Guard Dornier aircraft has sanitised the area and established communication with Chem Pluto. The vessel has started making its way towards Mumbai after undertaking damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems,” the statement further read. (ANI)

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