India’s navy said its commandos have rescued all crew members from a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the Arabian Sea, and that it had not found any pirates on board.
Indian Navy Spokesperson said that all 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, were rescued from the MV Lila Norfolk after they intercepted the vessel.
The navy said its forces were carrying out “sanitisation” operations on the ship, less than a day after they received a hijacking distress call from its location off Somalia’s coast in the North Arabian Sea.
The ship had sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations portal, saying five to six unknown armed personnel had boarded on Thursday evening, an Indian navy statement said.
The UKMTO is a British military organization that tracks vessel movements in strategic waterways.
The vessel was destined for Khalifa bin Salman in Bahrain, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey.
“The attempt of hijacking by the pirates was probably abandoned with the forceful warning by the Indian Navy, marine patrol aircraft, of interception by an Indian Naval warship,” the navy added.
The warship INS Chennai was diverted and deployed to assist the vessel, the navy said earlier in the day, adding that a naval aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on Friday and had established contact with it.
Here are some facts about INS Chennai:
• It is 164 meters long and weighs over 7,500 tons.
• It has a top speed of 30 knots, or about 55 kilometers per hour.
• It is powered by four reversible gas turbine engines.
• It can carry 350 to 400 people.
It is designed to carry and operate up to two multi-role helicopters.
It has a specially-integrated underwater “Kavach” chaff decoy system that can change the direction of an incoming missile or torpedo.
It has state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, stealth features, and an advanced action information system.
It is the third and final ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy.
The P-8I is a long-range, multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft manufactured by Boeing for the Indian Navy.
The P-8I is capable of:
• Anti-submarine warfare
• Anti-surface warfare
• Maritime patrol
• Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)
• Patrolling
• Coastline defence
The P-8I can hunt and destroy adversary surface ships with Harpoon missiles, and submarines with advanced torpedoes. It also has Electronic Warfare and Optical sensors.
The Marine Commando Force (MARCOS) is a special operations force of the Indian Navy. The MARCOS were established in 1987 and are modelled after the US Navy SEALS.
The MARCOS’ primary roles include:
• Maritime and amphibious warfare
• Counter-terrorism operations
• Unconventional warfare
• Rescue missions
The MARCOS are trained to conduct swift and stealthy responses in denied territories. They can operate in diverse environments, including sea, air, and land. They infiltrate territories using airborne raids, helicopter assaults, or sea landings.
To become a MARCOS commando, one must be able to:
• Run 20 kilometers in the morning
• March 20 kilometers at night while carrying a 60 kg load
• Train with live ammunition
• March 120 kilometers once a week while carrying a 60 kg load within a specified time limit
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