Armed hijackers attempt to hijack Liberian ship in Arabian Sea; Indian Navy rushes to help

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on Friday obstructed an attempt to hijack a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Arabian Sea.

The hijacked ship, ‘MV Lila Norfolk’ had sent an SOS on the UKMTP portal indicating around 5-6 armed hijackers boarding the ship late on Thursday evening. Responding quickly, the Indian Navy launched an MPA and diverted its warship INS Chennai to assist the distressed vessel, near the east coast of Somalia.

The naval aircraft continue to monitor the movement of the ship as the INS Chennai approaches the vessel, and the overall situation is being closely tracked in coordination with other agencies/MNF in the region.

This is the third incident of its kind on the high seas on the country's west coast in the past one month or with the Indian Navy rising to the occasion with a rescue and relief operation.

According to the figures presented by the US Navy, nearly two dozen merchant ships have been attacked in the Red Sea since November. In view of these attacks, the Indian Navy has increased its deployment in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Naval aircraft are also continuously monitoring the region. Along with this, marine commandos deployed on warships are also conducting inspections by stopping ships near the Gulf of Aden.