India sends warship to Arabian Sea vessel hijack attempt

Mumbai: The Indian Navy on Friday said it was responding to the attempted hijacking of a Liberian-flagged cargo vessel in the Arabian Sea.

India last deployed several ships to the waters last month, and the effort to seize the vessel is only the latest in a series of attacks on commercial vessels in the region.

A statement from the Indian Navy said it had "responded swiftly to a maritime incident in Arabian Sea involving a hijacking attempt" of the bulk carrier ship.

It said the INS Chennai — a stealth guided missile destroyer — had been sent to the scene.

While the navy did not identify the vessel, media reports say it was the MV Lila Norfolk, and about 15 Indian crew members are believed to be aboard the ship.

The ship raised the alert with a message on the portal of the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an organisation that monitors merchant shipping, on Thursday evening.

The Indian naval statement said five to six unknown armed personnel had boarded the vessel.

Naval officials did not specify whether hijackers were currently in control of the ship, although an overhead patrol flight had verified that the crew appeared safe on Friday morning.

India's bolstering of anti-piracy efforts comes after Somali pirates hijacked the bulk carrier MV Ruen in December.

The navy said earlier this week that it had investigated a large number of fishing vessels in the North and Central Arabian Sea, and that it had boarded some vessels deemed to be "of interest."

"India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region rises from the sea to the heights of the sky," Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said last month.

The reemergence of Somali piracy comes as Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen target commercial ships in the Red Sea, disrupting traffic headed for the Suez Canal.

Attacks by Somali pirates on vessels were at a peak between 2010 and 2015, but they have declined drastically since, amid patrols by US and other allied naval forces.