NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy said on Friday that a cruiser has been sent to pursue a hijacked ship in the Arabian Sea that has at least 15 Indian crewmen aboard and that an aircraft is keeping a close eye on the situation.
Information on the pirate attack on the Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk near the coast of Somalia was received on Thursday night, according to military officials cited by Indian news agency ANI.
According to the Indian Navy, the impacted ship reported to the UK Maritime Trade Operations portal that on January 4 evening, five to six unknown armed men had boarded the ship.
The statement added that a navy aircraft had flown over the hijacked vessel on Friday.The statement added that a navy aircraft had overflew the hijacked vessel on Friday and had made contact with it. It also stated that an Indian warship, the INS Chennai, had been redirected and sent to help the vessel.
Following a recent wave of strikes in the area, the Indian Navy has stepped up its monitoring of the Arabian Sea.
The navy announced earlier this week that it had boarded and looked into a significant number of fishing vessels in the North and Central Arabian Sea.
India serves as the region’s primary supplier of net security for the Indian Ocean. Rajnath Singh, the defence minister, stated last month of the rising maritime trade in the region, “We will ensure that it rises from the sea to the heights of the sky.”
