Ship With Indian Crew Hijacked Near Somalia's Coast; Indian Navy Warship Rushes Towards Vessel (Image: X @viper202020)

The Indian Navy is reportedly monitoring the situation surrounding the hijacked vessel “MV Lila Norfolk”, which was reported last evening near Somalia”s coast. Military officials told ANI that the Indian Navy warship INS Chennai is moving towards the hijacked vessel to tackle the situation. Officials also said that there are at least 15 Indian crew members on board the Liberian-flagged vessel.

“Indian Navy aircraft have been keeping a watch on the ship and communication has been established with the crew,” said military officials, as quoted by ANI. The Indian Navy said in its statement that the ship sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) portal saying five to six unknown armed personnel had boarded on the evening of January 4. Meanwhile, more details surrounding the hijacking, including the identity of the perpetrators, have not yet been disclosed.

The latest incident comes days after a Maltese-flagged merchant vessel was seized by unknown attackers in the Arabian Sea. The vessel, with 18 crew members onboard, indicated that six “pirates” had illegally boarded it. According to the European Union”s maritime security force, the ship left a South Korean port with a cargo of metals and was hijacked on December 14. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy evacuated one of the 18 crew members aboard this hijacked cargo vessel to provide medical care after he was injured by the pirates.