Navy intercepts after merchant vessel attacked in Gulf of Aden

INS Visakhapatnam, mission deployed in Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations. Pic/PTI

In a swift operation, a guided missile destroyer of the Indian Navy intercepted a cargo vessel with 22 crew members, including nine Indians, little over an hour after the Marshall Island-flagged ship came under a drone strike in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday night. The strike on the cargo vessel MV Genco Picardy around 60 nautical miles South of Port Aden came amid increasing global concerns over attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.

There was no report of any casualties and the fire on the vessel was contained, officials said. 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, they said.

The Indian Navy's EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) specialists boarded the vessel early Thursday morning to inspect the damaged area, they said, adding the vessel was cleared further transit following thorough scrutiny. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call.

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