New Delhi, 27 Jan: The Indian Navy on Saturday contained a fire onboard a commercial oil tanker with 22 Indian crew in the Gulf of Aden while swiftly responding to a distress call from the vessel after it was struck by a missile on the key shipping route that witnessed similar strikes in the last few weeks.
Following the Mayday call from the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel MV Marlin Luanda on Friday night, the Indian Navy deployed its guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam to assist the vessel.
Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said in New Delhi that after six hours of battling the fire, along with the crew of MV Marlin Luanda, the Indian Naval firefighting team has successfully brought the blaze under control.
The missile attack on the vessel reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants came amid increasing global concerns over the security situation in the Red Sea as well as the Gulf of Aden. The vessel is operated by UK-based Oceonix Services.
The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and adjoining areas since November, apparently in response to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
“Responding to the distress call from MV Marlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam had proceeded to provide assistance. A US and French warship also responded to the distress call,” Madhwal said.
The firefighting team from INS Visakhapatnam comprising 10 Indian Naval personnel with specialist firefighting equipment embarked on MV Marlin Luanda in the early hours of Saturday, he said.
“After six hours of battling the fire, along with the crew of MV Marlin Luanda, the Indian Naval fire fighting team has successfully brought the fire under control,” Madhwal said.
The Navy spokesperson said the team is currently monitoring the situation to rule out any possibility of “re-ignition”.
“Indian Navy remains steadfast in her commitment towards the safety of merchant shipping and seafarers,” he asserted.
Earlier in the day, the Navy said in a statement that INS Visakhapatnam responded to the distress call from MV Marlin Luanda and that the vessel had 22 Indian and one Bangladeshi crew.
“Based on a request from MV Marlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam has deployed its NBCD (nuclear biological chemical defence and damage control) team along with firefighting equipment to render assistance to the crew towards augmenting firefighting efforts on board the distressed MV,” it said.
Last week, INS Visakhapatnam intercepted a cargo vessel with 22 crew members, including nine Indians, little after the Marshall Island-flagged ship came under a drone strike in the Gulf of Aden.
The Navy, on January 5, thwarted an attempted hijacking of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all its crew members.
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.
Besides MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker that was on the way 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.
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. (PTI)