There was a missile attack on the Panama-flagged crude oil ship MV Andromeda Star on Friday. The Indian Navy stepped in to help.
The Navy’s warship INS Kochi saved the ship and its 30 crew members, 22 of whom were Indian. Officials confirmed that everyone on the group is safe.
“A mission deployed Indian Naval destroyer INS Kochi responded to a maritime security incident involving the attack on Panama-flagged crude oil tanker MV Andromeda Star on April 26,” the Navy said.
The US Central Command says that Houthi rebels with support from Iran fired three ballistic missiles into the Red Sea from Yemen, aiming at the merchant ship Maisha and the MV Andromeda Star.
The attack caused only slight damage to the MV Andromeda Star, which is owned by Seychelles and flies the Panamanian flag, the statement said.
The Indian Navy stopped the ship and used a helicopter to help with an aerial reconnaissance mission to figure out how big the danger was. A team of Explosive Ordnance Disposal experts was also sent to do a full danger assessment.
All thirty crew members, including 22 Indians, were found to be safe, and the ship continued on its way to the next port.
The quick action of the Indian Navy ship shows that the Navy is still committed and determined to protect the sailors traveling through the area, the statement said.
Recent events have made people around the world even more worried about Houthi militants’ strikes on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
In the last few weeks, the Indian Navy has helped many commercial ships in the Western Indian Ocean that were attacked in similar ways.
