INS Kolkata was tailing the container ship while Navy personnel in firefighting gear were in action.
MSC Sky II, a Liberia-flagged container ship with Indians onboard, was on its way to Djibouti from Singapore, navigating thousands of kilometres in the sea. Yesterday, around 140 km southeast of Aden in Yemen, the ship was attacked by Houthis. A distress call was made and the Indian Navy's warships were in action for the rescue.
INS Kolkata, a stealth Kolkata-class destroyer, is a frontline warship deployed in the Gulf of Aden along with INS Kochi to safeguard the sea route from pirates and drone attacks. The container ship reported fire after a drone/missile attack from Houthi rebels from Yemen. INS Kolkata quickly responded to the distress and arrived at the scene.
Navy In Action
A specialised firefighting team of the Indian Navy came on an inflatable motor boat and boarded the vessel. MSC Sky II had 23 crew members, including 12 Indians. A drone/missile reportedly fired by Houthis struck a container on the ship and the attack led to a massive fire. INS Kolkata was tailing the container ship while Navy personnel in firefighting gear, holding hose pipes, were in action to douse the flames.
An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team of the Navy were called for assistance with residual risk assessment. EOD is tasked with identifying and disposing of hazardous explosives.
A Navy helicopter provided cover and ensured reconnaissance during the operation. All crew members were safely escorted to safe waters and the operation was a success, with no injuries reported.
Indian Navy - Present Near Red Sea
The attack is among the latest strikes by the Iran-aligned Houthis, which have escalated since November last year. The Houthis have said they are targeting commercial ships in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Gulf of Aden is an important trade route that connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. Attacks from Houthis, coupled with piracy attempts have affected the sea trade in the Red Sea region, threatening global sea trade between the West and the East, which passes through the Indian Ocean, a toll gate in the maritime trade.
The Indian Navy, a blue water navy which is responsible for the defence of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), has deployed two warships in the Gulf of Aden and 10 in the Northern and Western Arabian Sea. The deployment is not a part of the US-led alliance in the region and the active presence to counter anti-hijacking and rescue missions is a dynamic shift. The Navy regularly patrols and responds to distress calls in the region. In the past few months, MARCOS (Marine Commandos) have rescued crew from hijacked ships and assisted merchant ships.
"Will Teach A Hard Lesson"
Indian Navy won't allow the security and safety in the Indian Ocean Region to be disrupted and will teach a "very hard" lesson if piracy is attempted, Navy chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar said earlier.
"We have made our position very clear. It's a matter of concern for us. We gave a lot of importance to freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce in that region. Whatever is happening there not only us but also impacts the economic interests of so many people. We are closely monitoring our position, looking at the unfolding situation with close watch," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We have our interests which have impacted, but at the same time, we have the Indian Navy patrolling the area. They are trying to secure the area and do their best so that our economic interests will not be impacted," he added.
"The region in which the Indian Navy's surface vessels are currently deployed to combat piracy has a surface area of 2.5 million square nautical miles, making it very daunting to patrol for any single navy," writes Harsh V Pant for Observers Research Foundation (ORF).