NEW DELHI: The Liberian-flagged chemical products tanker struck by an unmanned aerial vehicle in the Arabian Sea off India’s west coast on Saturday is now sailing towards Mumbai.
The Israeli-linked MV Chem Pluto started its journey from Saudi Arabia on Dec 19, with its scheduled arrival in New Mangalore Port in southern India on Dec 25.
It has started making its way towards Mumbai after a damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems, the Indian Coast Guard said.
The vessel sought escort assistance due to steering issues and the coast guard’s ship, Vikram, will be escorting it during its passage.
It was hit 200 nautical miles (370 km) southwest of Gujarat’s Veraval city amid threats by Yemen’s Houthi forces to target all Israeli-linked ships in the region due to the Jewish state’s war against Palestinians and its siege of Gaza.
The crew included 20 Indians and one Vietnamese but none was harmed in the drone strike.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency on Saturday night reported another attack on a ship sailing in the Bab Al Mandab Strait off the Yemeni coast.
Several major shipping companies, including Denmark’s Maersk, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, Hong Kong’s OOCL and Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, as well as British oil group BP have rerouted their vessels to avoid the Red Sea region due to warnings by the Yemeni forces against ships with Israeli ownership or cargo connections.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that we will continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the Red Sea and Arab Sea, irrespective of their national origin, unless more food and medicine are allowed into the Gaza Strip,“ Houthi military spokesman Brigadier-General Yahya Saree said earlier this month.
The Bahamas-registered car carrier Galaxy Leader was seized by Yemeni commandos on Nov 19.
On Dec 15, a missile hit the Liberian-flagged MSC Palatium III container ship in Bab Al Mandab.
There have been a number of military incidents involving merchant ships in the region.
The United States and its western allies on Dec 19 announced a naval coalition called “Operation Prosperity Guardian” to deter Yemeni attacks against ships sailing the Red Sea region, but the Houthis have vowed further action. - Bernama
