Navy saves another drone-hit vessel with nine Indians
The Indian Navy’s Guided Missile Destroyer INS Vishakhapatnam reportedly responded to a drone attack distress call in the Gulf of Aden.
The distress call was made from a Marshall Islands-flagged merchant vessel (MV) in the Red Sea.
The development comes as Yemen’s Houthi rebels disrupt commercial shipping trade routes citing solidarity with Palestinians, the latter being under relentless attack from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel.
The distress call from MV Genco Picardy was issued late on Wednesday. Navy officials said MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew, including nine Indians, faced a drone attack on Wednesday night. The merchant vessel was attacked 60 nautical miles South of Port Aden.
An Indian Navy spokesperson took to microblogging site X to confirm the developments. “#IndianNavy’s Guided Missile Destroyer #INSVisakhapatnam, mission deployed in #GulfofAden for #antipiracy ops, swiftly responded to by Marshall Island flagged MV #GencoPicardy following a at 2311 hrs on #17Jan 24 & intercepted the MV at 0030 hrs on #18Jan 24 to provide assistance. MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew (incl 09 Indian) reported nil casualties & fire under control. ” the tweet read.
After intercepting the vessel, MV Genco Picardy, Indian Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialists boarded the vessel to inspect the damaged area. “Specialists, after a thorough inspection have rendered the area safe for further transit. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call,” the Navy said.