AFPThe Indian naval vessel INS Chennai, which came to the rescue of the possibly hijacked cargo ship
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 20:43
Indian Navy commandos have rescued the crew of a cargo ship in the Arabian Sea. The 21 crew members of the MV Lila Norfolk were in a shelter room after reporting a possible hijacking of the ship yesterday.
According to the crew, five or six armed people managed to get on board last night. The ship was then sailing some 670 kilometers off the coast of Somalia and was on its way to Bahrain, maritime intelligence company Ambrey said. The crew included fifteen Indians.
The Indian Navy then sent an aircraft and a naval ship to investigate. According to the Navy, the commando troops boarded the cargo ship after several hours of observation. They found no hijackers there.
“The pirates’ hijacking attempt was likely halted when the Indian Navy warned that it was coming,” said a statement from the same navy. It is unclear who the pirates were. The attack on the ship is unclaimed.
Not the first hijacking attempt
According to Reuters news agency, which relies on data from the Indian Navy, there have been three hijackings or attempted hijackings of ships in the Arabian Sea last month. That had not happened since 2017.
Shipping experts say pirates are seizing their opportunity as many anti-piracy missions have turned their attention to the Red Sea, where Houthis from Yemen have been attacking cargo ships with drones and missiles for several weeks. The Houthis say they do this out of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
An international partnership has been established to protect cargo ships in the Red Sea, in which the Netherlands also participates. India is not part of that maritime coalition.
2024-01-05 19:43:40
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