All 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, evacuated from vessel hijacked in Arabian Sea

New Delhi: All 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, on board Liberia-flagged bulk carrier hijacked in the Arabian Sea were safely evacuated, the Indian Navy said on Jan 5, after its marine commandoes intercepted the vessel and carried out sanitation.

Earlier, Indian Navy's Mission Deployed platforms responded swiftly to the maritime incident in Arabian Sea involving a hijacking attempt onboard Liberia Flagged bulk carrier. The vessel had sent a message on UKMTO portal indicating boarding by approximately five to six unknown armed personnel in the evening on Jan 4.

Responding swiftly to the developing situation, Indian Navy launched a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) and has diverted INS Chennai deployed for Maritime Security Operations to assist the vessel.

The aircraft overflew the vessel on early morning of 05 Jan 24 and established contact with the vessel, ascertaining the Safety of the crew.

The overall situation is being closely monitored in coordination with other agencies in the area, it added. “The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring safety of merchant shipping in the region along with international partners and friendly foreign countries,” the Navy said in its statement.

The latest Incident is among a series of maritime incidents in the region in the last month. In December, the Navy had rendered assistance in a piracy incident to a Malta-flagged vessel MV Ruen in the Arabian Sea, at around 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast.

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