Indian Navy on Friday said its commandos rescued all crew members from a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the Arabian Sea.
The navy said it had not found any pirates on board.
Indian Navy’s marine commandos (MARCOS) boarded the vessel Friday and rescued its crew of 21, including 15 Indians, after carrying out “sanitisation” operations.
The merchant vessel had sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) portal, indicating that it had been boarded on Thursday evening by five-six unknown armed personnel off Somalia’s coast in the North Arabian Sea.
The Indian Express quoting the Navy reported that INS Chennai — a Kolkata Class stealth-guided missile destroyer on an anti-piracy patrol — intercepted the MV Lila Norfolk, a bulk carrier, at 3.15 pm Friday.
The vessel was destined for Khalifa bin Salman in Bahrain, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey. It was not immediately clear what it was carrying.
