New Delhi (TIP) – Marine commandos, abbreviated to MARCOS, of the Indian Navy on Friday, January 5, chased and boarded a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel that was taken over by armed hijackers in the Arabian Sea, and rescued the 21-member crew, including 15 Indians.
The dramatic rescue came after the Indian Navy deployed a maritime patrol aircraft, drones and guided missile destroyer INS Chennai to assist MV Lila Norfolk, whose crew informed the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Thursday evening that five to six “unauthorised armed persons” had boarded the vessel 460 nautical miles east of Eyl in Somalia. All crew members of the merchant vessel were safely evacuated from a strongroom in which they had been sheltering to avoid being taken hostage. “Sanitisation by the marine commandos has confirmed absence of the hijackers,” a navy spokesperson said.
No pirates were found on board and the vessel was proceeding towards Bahrain. It was not immediately clear when or how the hijackers fled the merchant vessel.
Steve Kunzer, CEO of Lila Global, the operator of MV Lila Norfolk, confirmed the crew was rescued by the Indian Navy warship, and that the “vessel and crew are all safe”.
The attempted hijacking by pirates was “probably abandoned with the forceful warning” from the Indian Navy and the interception of the merchant vessel by INS Chennai, the navy spokesperson said. INS Chennai remained with MV Lila Norfolk and provided support to restore power generation and propulsion so that the vessel could proceed to its next port of call.
After Indian Navy helicopters issued a warning and helped “sanitise” the upper decks, the marine commandos from INS Chennai boarded MV Lila Norfolk and cleared the rest of the vessel. Predator MQ9B drones and the maritime patrol aircraft kept a close watch during the entire operation lasting several hours.
The operation began soon after the crew of MV Lila Norfolk reported the incident to the UKMTO, a facility run by Britain’s Royal Navy that tracks the movement of merchant shipping in strategic waterways. The Indian Navy also coordinated with other agencies and a multi-national force in the area. INS Chennai, which was diverted from an anti-piracy patrol in the region, intercepted MV Lila Norfolk at 3.15pm on Friday. Earlier, the patrol aircraft overflew the ship and ascertained that the crew was safe.
“The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring safety of merchant shipping in the region along with international partners and friendly foreign countries,” the spokesperson said.
MV Lila Norfolk, a bulk carrier, was sailing from Brazil to Bahrain, according to websites that track merchant shipping. Kunzer thanked the agencies that assisted in the rescue operation, particularly the Indian Navy, Captain Rohit Bajpai, the director of the navy’s Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, and officials of the directorate general of shipping. “We also want to thank the professionalism of our crew who reacted safely and responsibly under the circumstances,” he said in a statement. No group claimed responsibility for the hijacking. There have been growing concerns about shipping in regional waters following a string of attacks carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in support of the Hamas. The region where the incident occurred is also where Somali pirates are known to operate.
The Indian Navy increased surveillance of the Arabian Sea after these attacks. It has currently deployed four destroyers — INS Kochi, INS Kolkata, INS Mormugao and INS Chennai — Talwar-class frigates and missile boats, and also used P-8I long-range patrol aircraft to ensure maritime security in the region.
Last month, the Indian Navy deployed a maritime patrol aircraft and a destroyer after the Malta-flagged MV Ruen was boarded by hijackers in the Arabian Sea. The navy subsequently evacuated an injured crew member of the vessel to Oman for treatment. Source: HT