In the aftermath of a drone attack on an “Israel-affiliated” merchant vessel last week, India has announced the deployment of three warships to the Arabian Sea. The targeted vessel, MV Chem Pluto, suffered a drone strike about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Gujarat in western India.
The attack caused a fire on the Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker, which was transporting oil from Saudi Arabia to the Mangalore Port in southern India.
Fortunately, the crew of 21 Indians and one Vietnamese citizen managed to quickly extinguish the flames, and there were no casualties reported.
While British Maritime Security firm Ambrey confirmed the ship’s link to Israel, the specific connection was not disclosed.
Following the attack, an Indian Coast Guard ship escorted MV Chem Pluto to Mumbai on Monday for further investigation.
In response to the incident and in light of recent attacks in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy has deployed Guided Missile Destroyers, including INS Mormugao, INS Kochi, and INS Kolkata, to various areas to maintain a deterrent presence.
