2nd India-Bound Ship With Indian Crew Comes Under Drone Attack; Who Is Responsible?

Mumbai: A second ship bound for India and carrying Indian crew members was attacked by drones in less than 24 hours.

MV Saibaba, a Gabon-flagged commercial oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members on board, came under attack as Yemen’s Houthi rebels charged drones in southern Red Sea.

There were no injuries, US military and Indian Navy officials said on Sunday.

On Saturday, an Israel-linked merchant ship MV Chem Pluto, with 20 Indian crew members, was hit by a drone 217 nautical miles off Gujarat’s Porbandar coast in the Arabian Sea.

Another vessel, Noway-flagged MV Blaamanen, reported a near-miss from a Houthi one-way attack drone, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, adding that US warship Laboon responded to distress calls from both ships. with no injuries or damage reported, the CENTCOM said. It added

No injury or damage was reported from either ship.

CENTCOM had initially said MV Saibaba was an ‘Indian-flagged crude oil tanker’, but Indian Navy denied it on Sunday. The ship was reportedly on its way to India.

Indian Navy warship INS Mormugao reached MV Chem Pluto on Saturday night and checked details of the drone attack. Indian Coast Guard ship Vikram also reached the Israel-linked ship and were expected to reach Mumbai by December 25, officials said.

It’s a disturbing trend as maritime tensions have escalated in the aftermath of the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

The attacks on India-bound ships have come against the backdrop of Iran-backed Houthi rebels stepping up attacks on ships passing through Red Sea amidst the war. Many ships are being forces to change routes and take a long detour, entailing increased time and costs.