On Saturday, a drone strike on a merchant ship in the Indian Ocean resulted in an explosion and fire, but no injuries were reported, according to a maritime agency. According to AFP, another maritime agency has also confirmed that the tanker flying the flag of Liberia was Israel-affiliated.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations and maritime security company Ambrey alleged that the “Liberia-flagged chemical/products tanker… was Israel-affiliated” and that the unclaimed attack off the coast of India started a fire on board. Authorities are looking into the incident, which the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations says was carried out by an unmanned aerial system.
The incident happened 200 km (120 miles) southwest of Veraval, India. Maritime security firm Ambrey said the fire on the Liberian-flagged chemical products tanker was extinguished without crew casualties.
“Some structural damage was also reported and some water was taken onboard. The vessel was Israel-affiliated. She had last called Saudi Arabia and was destined for India at the time,” the firm said on its website as per Reuters.
Amidst the maritime difficulties, the foreign ministry of India has stated that it has been in contact with the US-led naval task force in the Red Sea, which was established to counter the threat posed to international commerce by Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
