INS Chennai, the guided missile destroyer that intercepted the hijacked vessel MV Lila Norfolk and rescued 21 crew members, was ready to take action just because it had been deployed strategically by Indian naval planners, and for the very goal, individuals acquainted with the matter mentioned.

On Friday, in a daring operation, Indian marine commandos intercepted, then boarded the hijacked ship, and rescued the crew.

INS Chennai, the individuals cited within the first occasion mentioned, was among the many warships deployed off the African seaboard, south of the Red Sea, and within the Arabian Sea, by naval planners beneath route from the Narendra Modi authorities, since October 2023.

Also learn: First video of Indians rescued by Navy from pirates-hijacked ship surfaces: ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’

New Delhi has all the time been clear that it’s dedicated to retaining sea lanes secure from Somali pirates, an goal that has expanded in current weeks to cope with the problem posed by Houthi militia in opposition to industrial transport in north Arabian sea.

Thanks to the proactive motion taken by the Naval Headquarters, front-line guided missile destroyers INS Kochi and INS Kolkata at the moment are deployed off the Gulf of Aden. Besides, destroyers Murmogao, Chennai, and frigates Talwar and Tarkash have been deployed off the Straits of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman beneath the Operation Sankalp of the Indian Navy. Destroyer Visakhapatnam together with tanker INS Deepak are deployed off the Duqm port in Oman.

It is known, given the gravity of the state of affairs within the Arabian Sea, that the Indian Navy is now planning to maneuver a guided missile frigate and an off-shore patrol vessel from Eastern Command to the Western seaboard to make sure that industrial transport and service provider tankers will not be focused by uneven forces backed by gamers in West Asia because the Israel-Hamas battle escalates and widens.

HT learns that quickly after the October 7 terror assault by Hamas, the Indian Navy moved two ships to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on October 8 and 9. The Red Sea unit was withdrawn on October 25 however two warships belonging to Kolkata and Visakhapatnam class have been deployed within the Gulf of Aden to defend in opposition to attainable missile assaults by the Houthis.

All Indian warships carry missiles, long-range weapons and helicopters. In addition, India has additionally deployed a multi mission Boeing P 8 I and unarmed Predator drones over the Arabian Sea for enhanced surveillance.

When South Korean tanker MV Ruen was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on December 14, the Western Navy tasked INS Kochi to path the ship from December 15 to 18 with the destroyer evacuating an injured crew member from the hijacked ship to Salalah port in Oman.

In an effort to enhance forces in opposition to pirates and enhance maritime area consciousness, the Indian Navy deployed INS Kolkata within the Gulf of Aden.

It was INS Mormugao that first responded to the misery name from MV Chem Pluto, which was hit by Iranian Shahed 136 drone on December 23 off the coast of Dwarka. The ship was escorted safely to Mumbai harbor the place it’s presently present process repairs.

While India will not be a part of the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, aimed toward defending the Red Sea transport lane, the Indian Navy has been on the forefront to of offering maritime safety to industrial site visitors and take motion in opposition to Somali pirates off the coast of Socotra islands in Yemen and off the African jap seaboard.