Drone Hits Ship With 21 Indians on Board; Navy Rushes Warship | What We Know So Far

The Indian Navy has reached the location where a merchant vessel was struck by an “uncrewed aerial system” in the Arabian Sea off India’s west coast on Saturday. It confirmed the safety of the 21 Indian crew on board while a naval warship is also on its way to ascertain the safety and security of the “Israel-linked” ship.

The suspected drone strike caused an explosion on Saturday but there was no report of any casualties in the incident. The vessel was reportedly bringing crude oil from a port in Saudi Arabia to Mangalore port. Military sources and maritime agencies said out of 22 crew members onboard, 21 are Indians.

Here is what we know so far:

1. Indian Navy aircraft confirms crew safety A P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, deployed by the Indian Navy after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported the incident, ascertained the safety of the vessel and its crew, Indian military sources said.
2. Naval warship rushed for the safety of cargo ship The patrol aircraft sent to the area flew overhead the merchant vessel and established contact with it. “The aircraft ascertained the safety of the vessel and its crew,” said a navy official. A frontline warship has already been dispatched for the safety of the cargo vessel.
3. 21 out of 22 crew Indians Sources further said out of 22 crew members onboard the vessel, 21 are Indians. It was reportedly bringing crude oil from a port in Saudi Arabia to Mangalore port.
4. ‘Explosion and fire’ The UKMTO said the attack was caused by “uncrewed aerial system (UAS)” on the vessel, MV Chem Pluto, 200 nautical miles southwest of Gujarat’s Veraval. It caused “an explosion and fire”, the agency added. The fire was “extinguished” and there were no casualties. “Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” it said. The vessel has started moving towards Mumbai port after undertaking damage assessment and repairs. It sought escort assistance due to steering issues, so ICGS Vikram will be escorting it during its passage.
5. Israel-affiliated vessel At least one maritime agency said the merchant vessel was linked to Israel. Ambrey, a maritime security firm, said the “Liberia-flagged chemical/products tanker… was Israel-affiliated” and had been on its way from Saudi Arabia to India.  “Merchant vessels are advised these types of attacks are typically targeted at Israel-affiliated shipping, but have in the past mistakenly hit previously Israel-affiliated vessels,” Ambrey said. “This event fell within Ambrey’s Iranian UAV heightened threat area.”
6. Damage to the vessel reported Maritime agencies said some “structural damage was also reported and some water was taken onboard”. Gurgaon-based Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean region (IFC-IOR) has been coordinating the efforts and communication between the parties involved. The extent of the damage, however, cannot be ascertained at this level.
7. No claim of responsibility There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strike, which came amid a flurry of drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on a vital shipping lane in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza. The Houthis have declared themselves part of an “axis of resistance” of Iran’s allies and proxies targeting Israel over its war with Hamas.
8. Previous attacks Between December 14 and 20, there were a total of four incidents related to piracy and armed robbery in international waters. Among these, the MV Ruen was hijacked in the Arabian Sea. Additional occurrences include an attack on a tanker in the Red Sea, a sea theft in Mauritius involving a pleasure craft, and an incident in the Arabian Sea where five to six small boats, manned by three and mounted with machine guns, approached a vessel. The boats trailed the vessel for 90 minutes before detaching.
9. Increased attacks on Israel-linked ships Last month, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was hit in a suspected drone attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean. The Malta-flagged vessel managed by an Israeli-affiliated company was reportedly damaged. The Red Sea attacks on shipping since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 have prompted major firms to reroute their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite the higher fuel costs of much longer voyages.
10. Involvement of Houthi rebels Houthi rebels have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries. On Saturday, an official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned of the forced closure of other waterways unless Israel halted its war with Hamas. “With the continuation of these crimes, America and its allies should expect the emergence of new resistance forces and the closure of other waterways,” Mohammad Reza Naqdi said, quoted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

(With agency inputs)