New Delhi: Three crew members were killed and four injured onboard a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden Wednesday in missile attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels who have relentlessly pounced on these waters to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.
Later, the Indian Navy joined the efforts and deployed INS Kolkata to rescue the Barbados-flagged merchant vessel MV True Confidence and its crew. In a statement, the Navy said there were 21 crew members, including one Indian national onboard the ship.
On social media platform X, the US’ Central Command (CENTCOM) said that an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from the Iran-backed Houthi areas of Yemen towards the Barbados-flagged merchant vessel MV True Confidence.
One of the 11 unified combatant commands of the US, CENTCOM further said: “The missile struck the vessel, and the multinational crew reports three fatalities, at least four injuries, of which three are in critical condition, and significant damage to the ship.”
The crew abandoned the ship after the attack and coalition warships were assessing the situation. CENTCOM added that the Houthis had fired five anti-ship ballistic missiles in the last two days.
In the statement, the Indian Navy added that the crew were rescued from the life raft using INS Kolkata’s integral helicopter and boats. Critical medical aid was provided to the injured crew by a medical team.
The rescued crew, including the critically injured personnel, were evacuated to the East African country, Djibouti.
INS Kolkata, which was deployed for Maritime Security Operations in the region, saved the merchant vessel approximately 55 nautical miles southwest of the Gulf of Aden.
This comes only two days after the INS Kolkata’s firefighting team escorted the merchant vessel, MSC Sky II, with a crew of 23 (including 13 Indians), to safety.
After the incident, CENTCOM reported that Houthis had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at the vessel, one of which struck MSC Sky II, causing a blaze.
India, which is not part of a US-led multinational coalition in the area, has been independently assisting ships in distress.
The Red Sea crisis hit close to home last December when a commercial vessel carrying oil from Saudi Arabia to Mangaluru came under attack by a drone, about 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast. The Navy decided to deploy several warships in the region after more such incidents were reported in the Arabian Sea.
The Indian Navy, as of today, has sent out around 10 to 12 warships, including frigates and destroyers, in the Indian Ocean Region to ward off piracy attempts and attacks by Houthi rebels, who have been disrupting the movement of merchant vessels through the Red Sea.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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