- By Kamal Kumar
- Sat, 06 Jan 2024 07:13 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
All 21 crew members including 15 Indians on board the Liberian-flagged cargo ship MV Lila Norfolk were safely rescued by the elite MARCOS commandos of the Indian Navy on Friday. This comes after the vessel was hijacked in the Arabian Sea. The commandos are carrying out the sanitisation of the ship, meanwhile navy is maintaining a close watch on the operation.
Earlier, the Indian naval warship INS Chennai intercepted the cargo ship in the afternoon. The marine commandos or the elite 'MARCOS' on board the INS Chennai had started the sanitisation operation on the ship to rescue the crew and the ship, reported ANI.
Indian Navy received an SOS message on the UKTMO portal from the vessel (a bulk carrier cargo ship), it deployed a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to take stock of the situation.
Indian naval warship INS Chennai has reached the hijacked vessel MV Lila Norfolk off Somalia coast. The Indian warship has launched its helicopter and issued warning to pirates to abandon the hijacked vessel. The Indian crew on board are safe and Marine Commandos MARCOS are ready… pic.twitter.com/hYYREridg3
— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2024
Here are the key updates on the incident-
1. Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) overflew the cargo ship MV Lila Norfolk on Friday morning and established contact with the vessel, ascertaining the crew's safety.
2. As per the Indian Navy, Naval aircraft is continuously monitoring the movement of the vessel and Indian warship INS Chennai is closing the vessel to render assistance.
3. The ship transmitted a message via the UKMTO portal, reporting the presence of approximately five to six unidentified people carrying weapons on Thursday evening.
4. Out of the total strength of the crew, 15 are said to be of Indian nationality.
5. The Indian Navy also said that it is monitoring the situation. "The overall situation is being closely monitored, in coordination with other agencies/ MNF in the area," read a statement by the Navy.
6. "The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring the safety of merchant shipping in the region along with international partners and friendly foreign countries," the Navy spokesperson added.
7. UKMTO, a British naval initiative to ensure the security of the maritime trade in international waters, alerted vessels moving in the area.
"UKTMO has received a report that 5 to 6 unauthorised armed persons have boarded a merchant vessel in the vicinity of 460NM East of Eyl, Somalia. Crew mustered in the citadel. CSO reports that ship navigational lighting is limited and likely below minimum anti-collision regulation specification. Vessels navigating in the vicinity should be aware of the potential hazard, in position 06 27 11N(7) 057 25 32E(4). Vessels are advised to transit cautiously and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO," a statement on the UKTMO website read.