Indian Navy responds swiftly to maritime incident in Arabian Sea

The Indian Navy, responding to the missile strike incident that occurred in the Arabian Sea on MT Chem Pluto on Saturday (Dec 23), diverted a maritime patrol aircraft operating in the area while undertaking routine surveillance. 

It also diverted the Indian naval ship Mormugao to assess the situation and provide assistance to MT Chem Pluto.

"The naval maritime patrol aircraft overflew MT Chem Pluto at 1315 h on 23 Dec and established contact with the crew. The crew reported all 22 crew members to be safe and that the fire had been extinguished. Navy also communicated details of the developing situation to all Indian maritime agencies for rendering necessary assistance," the Indian Navy said in a statement.

"Indian Naval Ship Mormugao communicated with MT Chem Pluto at 1930 h on 23 Dec 23 to ascertain if any assistance was required. CGS Vikram, also present at the scene, was directed to escort the vessel to Mumbai. Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialist will be embarking MV Chem Pluto on arrival at Mumbai to sanitise the vessel and undertake further investigation," it further said in a statement.

Indian Navy further said that it would continue to monitor the situation very closely, further adding that it remains committed to ensuring the safety of merchant shipping in the region.

Also read: Houthis strike Indian-flagged oil tanker with drone in Red Sea: US military

A missile strike damaged MV Chem Pluto off India's coast on Saturday (Dec 23) morning which was carrying crude oil and was heading towards Mangalore from a port in Saudi Arabia. 

This happened amidst heightened tensions in the Red Sea, particularly with ongoing drone and missile strikes by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial shipping lane.

In the incident, which transpired on Saturday (Dec 23), there were no casualties reported. However, there was a brief fire onboard the tanker which was successfully extinguished.

The incident involving the MV Chem Pluto is crucial as it led to the Pentagon openly accusing Tehran of its misdoings, by directly targeting ships, for the first time.

Notably, this incident follows a similar suspected drone attack on an Israeli-owned cargo ship in the Indian Ocean last month. The Red Sea attacks during the Israel-Hamas war have led major shipping firms to reroute vessels around the southern tip of Africa due to heightened security concerns.

Amid the evolving situation, an official from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard warned of the potential forced "closure of other waterways" as well in case Israel fails to stop the ongoing war with the Hamas militant group.