The Pentagon has stated that an Iranian drone on Saturday struck a chemical tanker within the Indian Ocean, Reuters reported. “The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker, was struck at approximately 10 am local time (6 am GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” a Pentagon spokesperson informed Reuters. The incident comes as the newest illustration of the rising regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas assaults on Israel.
The Pentagon stated this was the “seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021”. An India-bound service provider vessel, MV Chem Pluto, with 20 Indian and one Vietnamese crew member on Saturday caught hearth after it was attacked by a suspected drone. It was later secured by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the ICG stated in an official assertion.
DRONE ATTACK ON MV CHEM PLUTO-Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre,Mumbai acquired info concerning hearth onboard MV Chem Pluto. The Merchant ship with 20 Indian &01 Vietnamese Crew was reportedly attacked by a suspected drone strike on aerial platform.(1/6) pic.twitter.com/CpioW9MfT9
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 23, 2023
The service provider vessel reportedly commenced its voyage from the UAE on December 19 and was sure for New Mangalore port with an arrival date of December 25. According to the official assertion, on December 23, the Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai acquired info concerning a hearth onboard MV Chem Pluto, reportedly attacked by a suspected drone strike or aerial platform.
The Indian Coast Guard Maritime Coordination Centre (MRCC), which established real-time communication with the vessel’s agent, ascertained no lack of life and guaranteed all help. It was additionally realized that the vessel hearth had been doused by the crew. To increase the vessel’s security, MRCC Mumbai has activated ISN and instantly diverted different service provider vessels within the neighborhood of Chem Pluto for help. The ship is being escorted to Mumbai.
“The Indian Coast Guard also pressed Offshore Patrol vessel Vikram and Coast Guard Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft into action for rendering assistance to Chem Pluto. The Coast Guard Dornier aircraft has sanitised the area and established communication with Chem Pluto. The vessel has started making its way towards Mumbai after undertaking damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems,” the assertion additional learn.Â
