PANJIM: Goa is on the forefront of maintaining vigil in the Arabian Sea for protecting the merchant vessels following a drone attack on an India-bound oil tanker M V Chem Pluto, on Saturday.
“The Indian Navy has deployed Guided Missile Destroyers, INS Mormugao (named after Goa’s port), INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence on the Arabian Sea. It has also deployed long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft, stationed at INS Hansa, in Goa, to maintain to maintain domain awareness,” an official statement issued by the navy said.
A suspected drone, around 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast in the Arabian Sea, hit a merchant vessel, MV Chem Pluto, (Liberian Flag chemical/oil tanker), with 21 Indian crew members on Saturday. The attack came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The vessel managed to reach India and anchored safely at Outer Anchorage off Mumbai on Monday.
“On her arrival, the Indian Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment of the type and nature of attack. Analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack. However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used,” the navy informed,” the navy informed.
A Joint Investigation by various agencies has commenced on completion of the analysis by the Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Team.
“MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai. The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by the various inspecting authorities before undertaking Ship to Ship (STS) transfer of cargo. This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto,” the navy stated.
