How Indian Navy warship rescued merchant vessel hit by drone in Gulf of Aden

On Wednesday, the Indian Navy came to the rescue of a cargo vessel under a drone attack in the Gulf of Aden. The distress call was made from a US-owned merchant vessel (MV) in the Red Sea. India deployed the guided missile destroyer INS Vishakhapatnam to intercept the vessel and provide assistance. The incident occurred as Houthi rebels in Yemen disrupted commercial shipping routes, claiming to be in solidarity with the Palestinian people who are constantly targeted by Israel, led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Here’s what happened. Indian Navy saves ship hit by drone Navy officials said MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew, including nine Indians, was hit by a bomb-carrying drone on Wednesday night. It happened about 60 nautical miles South of Port Aden. An Indian Navy spokesperson confirmed the developments on X. “INS Visakhapatnam, undertaking anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, acknowledged the distress call and intercepted the vessels at 0030 hrs on 18 Jan 24 in order to provide assistance.  MV  Genco Picardy with 22 crew (09 Indian) reported nil casualties and fire under control," the Navy said in a statement.

#IndianNavy's Guided Missile Destroyer #INSVisakhapatnam, mission deployed in #GulfofAden for #antipiracy ops, swiftly responded to 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 by Marshall Island flagged MV #GencoPicardy following a 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠 at 2311 hrs on #17Jan 24 & intercepted the… pic.twitter.com/FOs5aAxLzV

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 18, 2024

After intercepting the vessel, Indian Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team specialists boarded the ship to inspect the damaged area. The Navy said, “Specialists, after a thorough inspection have rendered the area safe for further transit. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call.” According to The Associated Press, in a statement, the Genco Picardy’s owner, New York City-based Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd., said the ship was carrying a load of phosphate rock. “All seafarers aboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured,” the company said, adding that “the vessel has remained stable and underway on a course out of the area.” Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar issued instructions to firmly deal with such maritime incidents, according to NDTV. A second attack on a US-owned ship The attack on the Genco Picardy was the second this week targeting vessels directly linked to the United States after US-led strikes targeting the Houthis. On Monday, a Houthi missile hit the US-owned bulk carrier Gibraltar Eagle. The US military’s Central Command said the ship reported no injuries or significant damage. The Houthi movement on Wednesday said its missiles had made a “direct hit” on the US Genco Picardy bulk carrier. Hours after this US military said its forces had conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region.” According to AP, the Houthis say their attacks on shipping are aimed at backing Hamas and Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s war on Hamas. The US and its allies have carried out three rounds of airstrikes targeting Houthi sites over the last week to try to deter the militants. Past incidents of Indian Navy’s swift response As the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas forces in Gaza has escalated, attacks by the Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea since November have hindered trade between Asia and Europe and worried world leaders. The incident occurs amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, as worries about Houthi terrorists increasing their attacks on commerce vessels in the Red Sea are escalating. Responding to a piracy incident in December 2023, the Navy helped the Malta-flagged MV Ruen in the Arabian Sea some 700 nautical miles off the Indian coast. As per Indian Express, while travelling to New Mangalore on 23 December 2023, the MV Chem Pluto, a merchant vessel with a Liberia flag and carrying a crew of 22, of whom 21 were Indians, was targeted by a drone strike approximately 220 nautical miles southwest of Porbandar. According to the daily, an analysis of the attacked area by the Navy showed the ship was attacked by a drone. It called for further forensic and technical analysis recommended to establish the vector of attack, including type, and amount of explosive used. A day after the MV Chem Pluto attack, a Gabon-flagged MV Sai Baba, a commercial oil tanker carrying 25 Indian crew members, was targeted by a drone attack in the southern Red Sea, along with Norwegian-flagged ship. A hijacking attempt on a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier was foiled by the Navy earlier in January in the Arabian Sea. Following these events, the Navy deployed frontline destroyers, frigates, and long-range maritime patrol aircraft to bolster maritime security and surveillance in the Central and North Arabian Seas. There are now 10 or 12 warships in the Arabian Sea, including a Talwar Class frigate and the Indian Navy’s INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, Kolkata, and Chennai. In addition to the warships, improved observation of the area is also being conducted by Dornier aircraft, MQ-9B Predator drones, and P8I maritime patrol aircraft, the report suggests. The Navy is actively investigating ships in the Arabian Sea, which includes boarding dhows. With inputs from agencies