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Will find culprits of attacks on ships even from depths of ocean: Rajnath
Rajnath Singh also emphasized the need to develop the Indian Navy's capabilities to secure maritime trade and the country's interests.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday warned those behind the recent attacks on two India-bound merchant vessels in the Arabian sea and the Red Sea, saying the perpetrators would be brought to justice soon even as he highlighted the need to continuously develop the Indian Navy’s capabilities to secure maritime trade and the country’s interests.
“The navy has stepped up surveillance in the region. We will hunt down the attackers even from the depths of the ocean. Strict action will be taken against them,” he said, referring to last week’s attacks on MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea and MV Saibaba in the Red Sea.
Both vessels were carrying Indian crews.
Speaking at the commissioning of India’s latest stealth destroyer INS Imphal at the Naval Dockyard, Singh said, “The turbulence sea at sea has increased a bit. India’s growing economic and strategic power has led to jealousy and hatred in some quarters. The government has taken the recent drone attacks very seriously.”
READ | Navy to carry out 'forensic analysis' of ‘drone attack’ in Arabian sea, deploys destroyers
The Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto and Gabon-flagged MV Saibaba were attacked on December 23.
Tensions in the Red Sea have escalated following a wave of drone and missile attacks against merchant vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebels and trouble seems to be spilling over into the Arabian Sea. The attack on MV Chem Pluto carrying a crew of 22, including 21 Indians and a Vietnamese national, took place 217 nautical miles off India’s west coast.
“India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region reaches greater heights. For this, together with our friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our navy,” he said.
The Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto was escorted to Mumbai on Monday by coast guard patrol vessel Vikram, and a preliminary assessment by the navy’s explosive ordnance disposal specialists confirmed a drone attack. Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea after the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7. The Houthi rebels declared their support for Hamas.
READ | 4 Indian Navy warships on high seas after strike
Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said the navy had deployed four destroyers in the region to counter drone attacks on merchant shipping as well as piracy. He said P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft, Dornier aircraft, Sea Guardian drones, helicopters and coast guard ships were also a part of the effort to secure the area.
“INS Imphal will not only tackle physical threats that emanate at or from the seas, but more importantly, through a demonstrated strength of an integrated Bharat, she will deter nefarious designs trying to subvert our national unity. She will breathe fire upon the enemy and demonstrate unflinching resolve in the face of adversity,” Kumar said.
A drone fired from Iran struck MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea, the US Department of Defense said on December 24. But Iran denied the US claim the following day.
MV Chem Pluto was struck on a day when MV Saibaba carrying a crew of 25 Indians came under a drone attack in the southern Red Sea, but the crew suffered no injuries. The US Central Command said MV Saibaba was one of the two merchant vessels targeted by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on December 23. The vessel’s last known position was in the Red Sea.
While the US Navy responded to the distress call made by MV Saibaba, the Indian Navy and coast guard deployed their assets to render help to MV Chem Pluto, which was carrying chemicals from Saudi Arabia’s Jubail port to New Mangalore. The navy diverted stealth destroyer INS Mormugao and the coast guard its patrol vessel Vikram to MV Chem Pluto’s location where it was disabled after its power generation system was hit.
The navy and the coast guard also scrambled their maritime surveillance planes, a P-8I and a Dornier, to respond to the emergency within minutes of receiving information about the emergency flagged by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the region.
Resurgence of piracy in the area is also a worrying development.
INS Kochi had intercepted Maltese-flagged MV Ruen that was seized by unknown attackers in the Arabian Sea on December 14. The Indian warship tailed the hijacked vessel until it entered the territorial waters of Somalia. One of the 18 sailors on board MV Ruen was on December 18 transferred to the Indian stealth destroyer for medical assistance after he was injured.
