AMN
Indian Navy rescued all 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, onboard the distressed cargo ship ‘MV Lila Norfolk’ off Somalia coast. The Navy rushed its warship INS Chennai and deployed maritime operations after a distress signal from the cargo ship signalled the hijacking on Thursday. The Navy’s elite Marine Commandos (Marcos), conducted sanitisation operations on the vessel and confirmed the absence of hijackers, said the Navy. All 21 crew, including Indians are safe. Naval warship INS Chennai, a navy destroyer, that was diverted from its anti-piracy patrol, launched its helicopter and issued warning to pirates to abandon the hijacked vessel. The hijacking was reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British military organisation that tracks movements of various vessels in strategic waterways.
The Indian crew members, who were a part of the crew onboard the hijacked vessel, thanked the Indian Navy for rescuing them. In a video posted by the Navy, the crew members can be seen chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and thanking the Indian Navy. The crew members were rescued in a swift operation in the North Arabian Sea after armed pirates attempted to hijack the vessel.