The tanker hijack situation in the Arabian Sea which was first reported Thursday involving a distressed Liberian-flagged merchant vessel off the coast of Somalia has come to an end after Indian Navy intervention.
The warship INS Chennai was already patrolling regional waters and was dispatched to assist the vessel, ending in the successful rescue of all 21 crew members, including 15 Indians aboard the MV Lila Norfolk. Pirates had ambushed the vessel, in waters frequently targeted by Somali militants.
The crew is said to be unharmed, as the Indian Navy carries out "sanitization" operations on the ship after boarding it, and without a firefight.
"The attempt of hijacking by the pirates was probably abandoned with the forceful warning by the Indian Navy, marine patrol aircraft, of interception by an Indian Naval warship," a New Delhi-based maritime think tank, the Maritime Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, told Reuters.
India's Navy said it "remains committed to ensuring [the] safety of merchant shipping in the region along with international partners and friendly foreign countries."
According to further details in a Gulf-based publication:
The INS Chennai, a guided missile destroyer and part of India's maritime force helping to protect shipping in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, was sent to the scene of the hijacking attempt, along with maritime patrol aircraft, the navy said on Friday.
It said its aircraft had been monitoring the ship's movements while the INS Chennai sailed towards it to offer assistance.
“The aircraft overflew the vessel on early morning of January 5, 2024, and established contact with the vessel, ascertaining the safety of the crew,” the navy said.
The Indian Navy has released several videos showing commandos aiding and boarding the vessel...
Somali militants have long threatened these waters, but given that the bulk of diverted Red Sea traffic must now travel via the Cape of Good Hope around Africa due to Houthi attacks related to the Gaza war, the fear is that the resulting increased traffic will push more vessels toward the Somali coast, leading to more 'opportunity' and ample potential targets for further piracy.
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Map showing extent of Somali piracy in prior years, which greatly expanded in range from 2005 to 2010...
