Indian Coast Guard officials finally confirmed that a Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft has successfully established communication with the Israel-affiliated merchant vessel that earlier today encountered a drone attack in the Arabian Sea off India's west coast.
According to the British maritime security firm Ambrey, the attack led to a fire inside the tanker carrying crude oil. It was later extinguished without any crew casualties. The crew reportedly includes 20 Indians.
The vessel, which is carrying crude oil, was going towards Mangaluru from a port in Saudi Arabia.
What did the officials say?
Taking cognisance of the incident, Indian defense personnel said, "All the crew are safe, which includes around 20 Indians.'
They said that the Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram was moving towards a merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast after it reported a "fire incident suspected to be caused by a drone attack".
"The vessel has crude oil and was going towards Mangalore from a port in Saudi Arabia. As per inputs received, the fire has been extinguished but it has affected its functioning. The ICGS Vikram was deployed on the patrol of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone when it was directed towards the merchant ship in distress. All the crew are safe, which includes around 20 Indians. The ICGS Vikram has alerted all ships in the area to provide assistance to it", a defence personnel said, as per media reports.
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