Dhaka (TIP): An Indian naval warship and a long-range maritime patrol aircraft extended assistance to a Bangladeshi-flagged cargo vessel after it was hijacked in the Indian Ocean, in the latest in a series of such support missions by the Indian Navy in the region.
The Navy said on March 22 that the safety of the crew held hostage by armed pirates was ascertained and the Indian Navy warship continued to maintain its presence in the close vicinity of the vessel till its arrival in the territorial waters of Somalia.
After receiving information about the hijacking of the ship, the Navy on March 12 deployed Long-Range Maritime Patrol aircraft (LRMP) P-8I.
The Navy said that on receipt of intimation, the LRMP was immediately deployed, and on locating the merchant vessel in the evening of March 12, it attempted to establish communication to ascertain the status of the ship’s crew members. “However, no response was received from the ship,” it said. (PTI)