All 21 crew members including 15 Indians evacuated from hijacked ship in north Arabian Sea

All 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, on board a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier hijacked in the Arabian Sea were safely evacuated, the Indian Navy said Friday, after its marine commandoes intercepted the vessel and carried out sanitation.

“Indian Navy’s swift response to the hijacking attempt of MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea. All 21 crew including 15 Indians onboard safely evacuated from the citadel. Sanitisation by MARCOs has confirmed the absence of the hijackers,” Indian Navy spokesperson said on X.

“The attempt of hijacking by the pirates was probably abandoned with the forceful warning by the Indian Navy MPA of interception by the Indian Naval warship. INS Chennai is in the vicinity of MV and rendering support to restore the power generation & propulsion, and commence her voyage to next port of call,” it added.

#IndianNavy’s Swift Response to the Hijacking Attempt of MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea.
All 21 crew (incl #15Indians) onboard safely evacuated from the citadel.

Sanitisation by MARCOs has confirmed absence of the hijackers.

The attempt of hijacking by the pirates… https://t.co/OvudB0A8VV pic.twitter.com/616q7avNjg

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 5, 2024

The warship INS Chennai was diverted and deployed to assist the vessel, the navy said earlier in the day, adding that a naval aircraft flew over the hijacked vessel on Friday and had established contact with it.

The Indian navy has increased its surveillance of the Arabian Sea after a recent spate of attacks in the region.

It said earlier this week that it had investigated a large number of fishing vessel and boarded vessels of interest in the region.

The hijacking of commercial ships and attempted hijackings by suspected pirates near the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea regions resumed in December after a six-year lull. Experts believe this is because naval forces led by the U.S. have diverted their attention to the Red Sea to thwart Houthi attacks.

Data from the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region shows at least three hijackings in December. The previous such incident was reported in 2017.

“The sudden revival in ship hijacking and attacks can only be attributed to the pirates’ willingness to take advantage of the fact that the focus of anti-piracy maritime forces has largely shifted from the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea,” Abhijit Singh, head of the Maritime Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in New Delhi said.

Earlier this week, the navy said it had investigated a large number of fishing vessels and boarded vessels of interest in the North and Central Arabian Sea.

“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,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said last month of the increased surveillance in the region.

India is not part of the U.S.-led Red Sea task force.

With inputs from agencies.

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