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Indian Navy’s elite MARCOS commandos carried out the rescue operation.

New Delhi:

The Indian Navy rescued all 21 crew members aboard the cargo ship ‘MV Lila Norfolk’ that was hijacked on Friday evening near the coast of Somalia.

The Navy deployed a warship, maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, and Predator MQ9B drones soon after a SOS call from the ship. There were 21 members, including 15 Indians, on the 84,000-tonne bulk carrier, all of whom are safe.

In its distress call, the ship said that five or six “unknown armed personnel” had come on board.

Indian Navy’s elite MARCOS commandos were sent on board to carry out a search and rescue op. After carrying out a sanitisation of the entire ship, the commandos confirmed the absence of hijackers on the ship.

The attempt of hijacking by the pirates was probably abandoned with the prompt response and forceful warning, the Indian Navy said in a statement.

On X (formerly Twitter), the Navy shared videos of the high-voltage drama on the high seas. The videos show commandos going onboard the ship and carrying out their operation.

#IndianNavy‘s Swift Response to the Hijacking Attempt of MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea.
All 21 crew (incl #15Indians) onboard safely evacuated from the citadel.

Sanitisation by MARCOs has confirmed absence of the hijackers.

The attempt of hijacking by the pirates… https://t.co/OvudB0A8VVpic.twitter.com/616q7avNjg

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 5, 2024

Steve Kunzer, chief executive of the vessel’s Dubai-based owners Lila Global, thanked the Indian Navy for the rescue.

“We also want to thank the professionalism of our crew who reacted safely and responsibly under the circumstances,” he said in a statement.

The attempted hijacking comes amid growing concerns over Houthi militants stepping up attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar issued instructions to firmly deal with such maritime incidents.

Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India’s west coast on December 23.

Besides MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker that was on the way to India came under a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. The vessel had a team of 25 Indian crew.

In another incident, Malta-flagged vessel MV Ruen was hijacked on December 14 by pirates.