Navy sends firefighting team aboard vessel hit by ‘missile/drone’ in Gulf of Aden, escorts it to safety

INS Kolkata responded to attack on Liberian-flagged merchant vessel MSC Sky II, which had crew of 23, including 13 Indians.

INS Kolkata (Photo/ANI)

New Delhi: The Navy has responded to another attack — suspected to be either a drone or missile strike — on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, with the stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata sending a fire-fighting team on board the vessel and then escorting it to safety.

This comes as the Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen have continued their attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting global maritime commerce in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

While India is not part of the US-led multinational coalition that has carried out strikes against the Houthis, its Navy — which has deployed 10-12 warships in the region — has assisted several ships that had been hit by the rebels’ attacks or set upon by pirates.

According to a statement issued by the Navy, the Swiss-owned, Liberian-flagged merchant vessel, MSC Sky II, carrying a crew of 23 (including 13 Indians), was transiting approximately 90 nautical miles south-east of Aden in Yemen when it came under fire Monday.  The Gulf of Aden is a basin that links the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that the Houthis had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at the vessel, one of which struck it and caused damage.

INS Kolkata, deployed in the region for maritime security operations, soon responded and arrived on the scene Monday night. A specialised team of 12 personnel embarked on the vessel in the early hours of Tuesday to assist in firefighting efforts. The Navy further said in its statement that a specialist explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team also embarked on the vessel and provided assistance in residual risk assessment.

The vessel has been escorted to safe waters, the Navy said.

This is the latest among several such instances. On 24 February,  the Navy had provided critical EOD and medical assistance to the Palau-flagged merchant vessel Islander, which was in distress after it caught fire due to a drone or missile attack launched by the Houthis.

(Edited by Tikli Basu)