A cargo ship, ‘MV LILA NORFOLK’, was hijacked late last evening near the coast of Somalia and is being closely watched by the Indian Navy, which has rushed a warship towards it, military officials said on January 5.
The hijacked ship has 15 Indians on board, and communication has been established with the crew.
As per military officials, the information about the ship being hijacked off Somalia’s coast was received on January 5 evening.
Indian Navy is closely monitoring a hijacked ship 'MV LILA NORFOLK' ship about which information was received last evening. There are 15 Indian crew on board the Liberian-flagged vessel which was hijacked near Somalia's coast. Indian Navy aircraft have been keeping a watch on the… pic.twitter.com/ca3o9zREE9
— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2024
The Indian Navy’s Mission Deployed Platforms responded swiftly to the hijacking attempt on board a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier after it received a message on the UKMTO portal indicating boarding by approximately five to six unknown armed personnel on January 4 evening, the Indian Navy said in an official statement on January 5.
In response to the situation, the Indian Navy launched a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) and diverted INS Chennai, deployed for maritime security operations, to assist the vessel.
The overall situation is being closely monitored in coordination with other agencies and MNFs in the area, the Indian Navy said.
(with inputs from ANI)
