BBC News:
India has said it is sending three warships to the Arabian Sea after a drone hit an “Israel-affiliated” merchant vessel off its western coast last week.
MV Chem Pluto was attacked about 200 nautical miles (370km) off the coast of the western state of Gujarat.
The attack triggered a fire but it was quickly extinguished by the crew. There were no casualties.
The vessel’s crew included 21 Indians and a Vietnamese citizen.
The MV Chem Pluto is Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker. British Maritime Security firm Ambrey said the ship was linked to Israel but didn’t specify the connection.
Indian media reports said the vessel was transporting oil from Saudi Arabia and was heading to the Mangalore Port in southern India when the attack took place.
After the attack, an Indian Coast Guard ship accompanied the MV Chem Pluto to Mumbai on Monday.
“Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy has deployed Guided Missile Destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence,” the navy statement said.
The navy added that it was also regularly flying a long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the situation.
India heavily relies on fuel shipments from the Middle East, particularly from Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Any disruption in this route can be problematic for India.
“India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region,” Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.
