In the wake of the surge in attacks on ships in the Arabian Sea, the Bharatiya Navy has deployed guided missile destroyers, the Ministry of Defence stated. The move came after an Israel-linked chemical tanker was attacked in the Arabian Sea.
Informing about the development, the Defence Ministry late Monday stated that three stealth-guided destroyers have been deployed in the Arabian Sea to maintain a deterrent presence. It added that the Bharatiya Navy uses long-range maritime patrol aircraft for domain awareness.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday sternly asserted that the drone attacks in MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea and MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea are taken very seriously, and he warned that Bharat will track those involved in attacks even from the depth of the sea. At the commissioning of INS Imphal, the third of four ‘Visakhapatnam-class’ warships developed and designed by the Navy, Rajnath Singh added that the attackers of the merchant ships would not be spared and would be brought to justice soon.
Notably, the United States has claimed that the December 23 drone attacks on MV Chem Pluto were fired from Iran, however, Tehran has dismissed the same as “baseless”. The Bharatiya Navy stated that it is actively investigating the nature of the attacks, adding that the ship has anchored safely in Mumbai.
The Defence Ministry noted that though initial investigations reveal that the ship suffered a drone attack, further forensic and technical analysis is required to establish the vector of attack, and the type and amount of explosive used.
Notably, maritime security has come under attack since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who support Hamas, declaring that they will attack every ship going and coming from Israel in solidarity with Gaza.
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