Indian warship responds to drone attack on merchant vessel in Gulf of Aden

The Indian Navy’s frontline warship INS Visakhapatnam responded within an hour to the distress call by MV Genco Picardy following the drone attack at 2311 hours on Wednesday

India’s guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam on Thursday swiftly responded to a distress call made by a merchant vessel that came under a drone attack in the Gulf of Aden, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialists from the Indian warship boarded the ship to inspect the damage, the Indian Navy said on Thursday.

Marshall Islands flagged MV Genco Picardy is carrying a crew on 22, including nine Indians. (Indian Navy)

The Mayday call was sent out by Marshall Islands flagged MV Genco Picardy at 11:11pm on Wednesday, and INS Visakhapatnam intercepted the vessel at 12:30am the following day, the navy said in a statement.

The incident is the latest in a series of drone and pirate attacks on merchant vessels in the region including the Red Sea and parts of the Arabian Sea.

The merchant vessel’s crew of 22, including nine Indians, is safe and the fire on board under control.

“Indian Naval EOD specialists from INS Visakhapatnam boarded the vessel in early hours of 18 Jan 24 to inspect the damaged area. EOD specialists, after a thorough inspection, have rendered the area safe for further transit. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call,” the statement added.

The Indian Navy has stepped up surveillance in the troubled region substantially and deployed task groups consisting of around 10 warships in the face of the recent attacks on India-bound merchant vessels including MV Chem Pluto and MV Saibaba.

The drone attack on MV Chem Pluto took place around 220 nautical miles south-west of Porbandar, while the other vessel was targeted in the southern Red Sea.

Houthi militia has been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea with missiles and drones after the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels declared their support for Hamas. Several shipping companies have suspended their operations in the Red Sea following the Houthi attacks, which have forced mariners to change course and take longer routes around the southern tip of Africa.

The situation in Gaza and the attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and parts of the Arabian Sea were on January 15 the focus of discussions between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, with the Indian minister flagging concerns about a perceptible increase in threats to the safety of maritime traffic in the region including attacks in the vicinity of the Indian coast.

The fraught situation in the seas is not to the benefit of any party and this must be recognised, the minister said at a joint press conference with Iranian minister Amir-Abdollahian.

“This is a matter of grave concern to the international community. Obviously, it also has a direct bearing on India’s energy and economic interests,” Jaishankar told reporters.