Another vessel with 9 Indians hit by drone in Gulf of Aden

New Delhi, January 18

Amid increasing global concerns over attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, an India-bound bulk cargo merchant vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Aden by a drone launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Wednesday night.

All 22 crew members, including nine Indians, aboard MV Genco Picardy are stated to be safe. Indian Navy warship INS Visakhapatnam, deployed in the area for anti-piracy operations, swiftly responded to the distress call. There was no report of any casualties and the fire on the vessel was contained, officials said.

Flagged in Marshall Islands and owned by a US company, the vessel was on its way from Safaga port on Egypt’s Red Sea coast to Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. The drone struck the vessel around 11 pm (Indian time) some 60 miles south-east of Aden in Yemen.

INS Visakhapatnam intercepted the vessel in the early hours of Thursday. “MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew, including nine Indians, is safe and the fire caused by the drone attack is under control,” said Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal.

Indian naval explosive specialists from INS Visakhapatnam boarded the vessel in the early hours on Thursday to inspect the damaged portion. After a thorough inspection, they rendered the ship to be safe for further transit. The vessel was proceeding to the next port of call, the Indian Navy said.

The US Central Command headquartered at Bahrain said Genco Picardy was struck by a one-way attack UAS (unmanned aerial system) that was launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

Red Sea situation precarious: MEA

The maritime situation in the Red Sea was precarious and risky, said the Ministry of External Affairs. Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, at a separate event, assured that naval assets deployed along the western coast of the country would not allow any instability.