An Indian Navy warship came to the rescue of a merchant vessel that had come under a drone attack in the Gulf of Aden, rescuing all 22 crew members, including at least nine Indians. The commercial ship is now en route to its next port of call.

Providing details on Thursday, Navy officials said that the guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam intercepted MV Genco Picardy a little over an hour after the Marshall Island-flagged ship came under a drone strike in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday night.

The strike on the cargo vessel MV Genco Picardy, about 60 nautical miles south of Port Aden, occurred amid increasing global concerns over attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. There were no reports of any casualties, and officials said the fire on the vessel was contained.

The Indian Navy’s frontline warship INS Visakhapatnam responded within an hour to the distress call from MV Genco Picardy following the drone attack at 23:11 hours on Wednesday, they said.

The Indian Navy’s EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) specialists boarded the vessel early Thursday morning to inspect the damaged area, adding that the vessel was cleared for further transit following thorough scrutiny. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call.

“The INS Visakhapatnam, mission-deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations, swiftly responded to a distress call by the Marshall Island-flagged MV Genco Picardy following a drone attack at 23:11 hours on January 17,” the Navy said. It stated that the warship intercepted the vessel at 00:30 hours on Thursday to provide assistance.

“Indian Naval EOD specialists from INS Visakhapatnam boarded the vessel in the early hours of January 18 to inspect the damaged area. After a thorough inspection, the EOD specialists have rendered the area safe for further transit,” the Navy said in a statement.

Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said INS Visakhapatnam was undertaking an anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden. The Indian Navy thwarted an attempted hijacking of the Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea on January 5, rescuing all its crew members.

The Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India’s west coast on December 23. In addition to MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker en route to India came under a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. The vessel had a team of 25 Indian crew members.

Meanwhile, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar stated that the Navy has already enhanced the deployment of its frontline ships and surveillance aircraft for maritime security operations in view of the maritime environment in the critical sea lanes, including in the North and Central Arabian Sea.

The Indian Navy has deployed its assets along the western coast to protect India’s maritime interests and is committed to preventing any “instability,” said Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar.

Addressing the situation in the Arabian Sea and Red Sea area, he mentioned that Indian assets are already deployed for two anti-piracy operations. Speaking at the fourth edition of the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit, he stated, “We are deployed to ensure that our national interest in the maritime domain is protected. We have our own deployments, including two ongoing anti-piracy operations and anti-drone support for merchant shipping.”

These remarks come amid growing global concerns over Houthi militants targeting cargo vessels in the Red Sea, particularly against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Navy chief emphasised the Navy’s role in preserving, protecting, and pursuing national interests in the maritime domain, highlighting ongoing anti-piracy operations since 2008. Operation Sankalp, near the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman, aims to counter piracy, with an adequate number of deployed assets to prevent any resurgence.

Admiral Kumar reassured that no attacks have occurred on Indian merchant ships, stating, “Our message is that we are not going to permit any instability or insecurity to happen.” He also mentioned that in the last piracy attempt on a ship with a high number of Indian crew, Indian assets were deployed promptly, and an effective response was provided.