Indian Navy assists Panama-flagged crude oil tanker after it comes under missile

The Indian Navy assisted a Panamaflagged crude oil tanker with 30 crew members including 22 Indians after the vessel came under missile attack from Houthi militants according to a PTI news reportIndian Navys destroyer ship INS Kochi responded following the attack on the vessel MV Andromeda Star on April 26 the officials saidThey said that all the crew members onboard the ship were safe as per the PTIThe US Central Command said that the Iranianbacked Houthi militants launched three antiship ballistic missiles from Yemen into the Red Sea in the vicinity of merchant vessel Maisha and MV Andromeda Star MV Andromeda Star is a Panamanflagged and Seychellesoperated vessel The vessel reported minor damage the US Central Command said the PTI reportedA mission deployed Indian Naval destroyer INS Kochi responded to a maritime security incident involving the attack on Panamaflagged crude oil tanker MV Andromeda Star on April 26 the Indian Navy said The vessel was intercepted by the Indian Navy ship and an aerial recce involving a helicopter operation was undertaken to assess the situation it said according to the PTIAn Explosive Ordnance Disposal EOD team of the Indian Navy was also deployed to carry out residual risk assessment the Navy said in a statementA total of 30 crew including 22 Indian nationals are reported to be safe and the vessel is continuing its scheduled transit to the next port it saidThe swift action of the Indian Navy ship reiterates the commitment and resolve of the Indian Navy in safeguarding the seafarers plying through the region it said the news agency reported on SundayThe fresh incident of a missile attack comes amid growing global concerns over attacks on various commercial vessels in the Red Sea allegedly by the Houthi militantsIn the last few weeks the Indian Navy extended assistance to a number of merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean following attacks on themHeroin worth Rs 600 crore seized from Pakistani boat off Gujarat coast 14 heldMeanwhile in an another incident the Indian Coast Guard ICG has seized 86 kg of drugs worth Rs 600 crore from a Pakistani boat and arrested 14 persons on board the vessel off the Gujarat coast the maritime security agency said on Sunday according to the ANIThe overnight operation in the Arabian Sea was carried out in coordination with the Gujarat Antiterrorism Squad ATS and the Narcotics Control Bureau NCB it said in a releaseThis was the 11th such successful joint operation in the past three years involving the Coast Guard and the ATS it said seeking to underscore the synergy between the two agenciesA top Gujarat police official said heroin was seized from the boatIn a breathtaking overnight operation Indian Coast Guard undertook an intelligencebased antinarcotics operation at sea on 28 Apr 24 Approx 86 kg of narcotics worth Rs 600 crore has been apprehended along with 14 crew from the Pakistani boat the agency said in a release according to the ANIwith PTI and ANI inputs