A maritime crisis unfolded as the cargo ship ‘MV Lila Norfolk’, with 15 Indian crew members aboard, was hijacked last Thursday evening near Somalia’s coast.
The ship sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) portal saying five to six unknown armed personnel had boarded on the evening of Jan. 4, the Indian navy statement said.
The ship was 460 nautical miles east of the Somalian coast when it sent the message, the UKMTO noted.
In response to this emergency, the Indian Navy deployed a maritime patrol aircraft and the destroyer INS Chennai to the scene, which was on Maritime Security Operations, and had established contact with it.
The Indian navy has increased its surveillance of the Arabian Sea after a recent spate of attacks in the region.
