New Delhi. The Indian Navy on Saturday brought under control the fire on a cargo oil tanker ship in the Gulf of Aden. The Navy took this action on the help sought by the ship. The ship had 22 Indians in its crew and it caught fire after being hit by a missile. It is noteworthy that after the call for help from Marshall Islands-flagged ship MV Marlin Luanda on Friday night, the Indian Navy deployed its warship INS Visakhapatnam to assist the ship.
Naval spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said in New Delhi that Indian Navy fire brigade along with the crew of MV Marlin Luanda brought the fire under control after six hours of effort. Now the captain of the ship has thanked the Indian Navy for the help. A video has been shared by the Navy on its X account, in which the captain of the ship is seen expressing gratitude to the Army.
Ship’s Captain Abhilash Rawat said, ‘I thank the Indian Navy’s warship INS Visakhapatnam. We had lost all hope of fighting this fire. Hats off to the Indian Navy whose experts came on board to fight the fire. Indian Navy came forward to help us.
keeping an eye on the situation
The Navy wrote in a tweet that, ‘Based on the request of the Master of the MV, the fire fighting team of INS Visakhapatnam, consisting of 10 Indian Navy personnel with specialist fire fighting equipment, boarded the ship in the early hours of 27 Jan 24. After six hours of battling the fire along with the crew of the MV, the fire brigade has successfully brought the fire under control. The team is currently monitoring the situation to rule out any possibility of a repeat situation. INS Visakhapatnam had responded to the distress call of MV MarlinLuanda and proceeded to provide assistance. An American and French warship also responded to the distress call. The Indian Navy remains steadfast in its commitment towards merchant shipping and the safety of sailors.
Fire onboard MV #MarlinLuanda brought under control
Based on request from Master of the MV, the fire fighting team from #INSVisakhapatnam comprising 10 Indian Naval personnel with specialist fire fighting equipment embarked the vessel in early hours of #27Jan 24.
After six… https://t.co/d5yxgWI42Y pic.twitter.com/RsLPKOpXTU— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 27, 2024
Houthi rebels attacked
The missile attack on the ship was allegedly carried out by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists. The attack came amid growing global concerns over the security situation in the Red Sea as well as the Gulf of Aden. This ship was being operated by the British company Oceanics Services. The Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and surrounding areas since November last year. They are apparently targeting the ships in response to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
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Tags: Indian Navy, navy
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 29, 2024, 24:26 IST