NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy’s preliminary assessment of the incident involving the merchant vessel Chem Pluto on Monday has pointed “towards a drone attack”.
The Indian Navy in a statement said, “Analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack. However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used.”
The Navy added that a “joint investigation by various agencies has commenced on completion of the analysis by the Navy's Explosive Ordnance Team.”
MV Chem Pluto, (a Liberian flag chemical/oil tanker), carrying 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew members, which was attacked on December 23, reached Mumbai and anchored safely at Outer Anchorage at 1530 on December 25.
On her arrival, the Indian Navy explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment of the type and nature of attack.
The merchant vessel, which was transporting crude oil from Saudi Arabia to Mangalore, was over 200 nautical miles (370 km) southwest of Veraval in the Arabian Sea when it was hit by the drone.
MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai, the Navy said.
The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by various inspecting authorities before undertaking Ship to Ship (STS) transfer of cargo.
This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto.
In light of a series of hijacks/drone attacks, the Indian Navy has enhanced its deterrence presence, pressing its warships into operational deployment.
The Navy said, “Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy has deployed Guided Missile Destroyers INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence.”
Long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are also being regularly tasked with maintaining domain awareness.
The Western Naval Command's Maritime Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation in close coordination with the Coast Guard and all concerned agencies.