A Liberian-flagged ship was hijacked near the coast of Somalia, with 15 Indian crew members on board. The Indian Navy has sprung into action, deploying the warship INS Chennai to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of the crew.
The Indian Navy is closely monitoring the hijacked ship ‘MV LILA NORFOLK’, about which information was received around last evening.
Indian Navy aircraft have been keeping a watch on plane and communication has been established with the crew who were in a safe house on board the ship, said military officials.
A swift response was executed by the Indian Navy’s Mission Deployed platforms to a hijacking attempt on a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea. The ship had reported the boarding of approximately five to six unknown armed individuals on Thursday evening via the UKMTO portal. In response to the evolving situation, the Indian Navy deployed an MPA and redirected INS Chennai, which was on Maritime Security Operations, to provide assistance to the vessel.
On Friday morning, an aircraft flew over a vessel and established contact, confirming the safety of the crew on board. Naval aircraft are persistently tracking the vessel’s movement. INS Chennai is approaching the vessel to provide assistance.
