Another India-bound merchant ship came under suspected drone attack in the Red Sea reportedly by Houthis. The 25 Indian crew members were not injured in the incident on Saturday. Meanwhile, the other merchant vessel hit by drone in the Arabian Sea is likely to reach Mumbai early Monday morning with Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships providing security to it.
The Indian Navy is probing into the incident which targeted MV Chem Pluto. It is a Liberian flagged ship and has about 20 Indian crew. No one was injured in the explosion and fire on board. The ship, however, suffered some damage and is now moving toward Mumbai for repairs.
The vessel, carrying crude oil to the New Mangaluru port from the Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar.
As regards the drone attack in the southern Red Sea, it took place on the Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker MV Sai Baba with 25 Indian crew members, Indian officials and the US military said on Sunday.
The US Central Command said the vessel, MV Sai Baba, was targeted by a drone launched by Houthi militants in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday.
The US military's statement on the attack came a day after merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto, with around 20 Indian crew members, was hit by a suspected drone about 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast in the Arabian sea.
"All 25 crew members of MV Sai Baba are learnt to be Indians," said an Indian military official. There were no reports of any casualties.
The official said MV Sai Baba is a Gabon-flagged vessel and it had received a certification from the Indian register of shipping.
The US Central Command described the vessel as an Indian-flagged tanker. The vessel was reportedly on its way to India.
The officials said the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the situation.
In a post on 'X', the US Central Command mentioned the attack on MV Sai Baba along with a similar strike targeting another vessel on Saturday.
"The M/V BLAAMANEN, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported," it said.
"A second vessel, the M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone with no injuries reported," it added.
The fresh attack came against the backdrop of Iran-backed Houthi rebels stepping up attacks on ships in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The US Central Command is one of key unified combatant commands of the US.
The drone attack on MV Chem Pluto saw swift response from the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. They deployed warship and maritime patrol aircraft on Saturday soon after the UK Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, reported the drone "attack" on MV Chem Pluto that has around 20 Indian crew members.
The Navy has launched an investigation into the incident including into the origin of the strike, sources said. The Navy sent stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Mormugao to the location of the drone strike on Saturday and the officials said the warship is in the process of examining various details relating to the attack, the officials said.
The incident came against the backdrop of Iran-backed Houthi rebels stepping up attacks on ships in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Late Saturday night, the Indian Coast Guard said MV Chem Pluto started making way towards Mumbai post undertaking damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems.
"The Coast Guard Dornier aircraft has sanitised the area and established communication with Chem Pluto. The vessel has started making way towards Mumbai post undertaking damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems," it said.
"The vessel is likely to enter Mumbai and sought escort assistance due to steering issues. Indian Coast Guard Ship Vikram will be escorting the ship during its passage. The Indian Coast Guard Operations Centre is monitoring the situation closely," it said.
Earlier on Saturday, the UKMTO, that operates under Britain's Royal Navy, said it received a report of an attack by Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) on a vessel causing an explosion and fire, adding the incident took place 200 nautical miles South West of Veraval in India.
It said the fire was "extinguished" and there were no casualties.
The Coast Guard said its Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai received information regarding the fire onboard MV Chem Pluto.
"The MRCC established real time communication with the vessel's agent and ascertained no loss of life and assured all assistance, he said adding the Coast Guard immediately diverted other merchant vessels in the vicinity of Chem Pluto for rendering assistance," it said.
The UKMTO is a British military organisation that provides maritime security information and largely acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels involved in maritime incidents.
It receives reports and information on suspicious incidents from merchant shipping and shares that information with its regional, national contacts, as well as Industry and vessels operating in that area, according to UKMTO.
