Houthis target commercial vessel with 25 Indians on board in Red Sea

New Delhi: Even as a patrol vessel of the Indian Coast Guard is escorting MT Chem Pluto to Mumbai after it was hit by a drone in the Arabian Sea, another commercial oil tanker has come under a similar attack in the southern Red Sea by the Houthi militants based in Yemen.

The Gabon-flagged MV Sai Baba was hit by a drone in the southern Red Sea, but no one aboard was injured. The oil tanker had 25 crew members – all Indian nationals. The MT Chem Pluto, which was attacked in the Arabian Sea, had a crew of 22 members – 21 Indians and one Vietnamese national.

The US Central Command stated that the attack on the MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea was the 15th attack on commercial shipping by the Houthis since October 17. The Houthis started attacking merchant vessels in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s aerial and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation to the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. The US has accused Iran of backing the Houthis based in Yemen.

The attack on the MT Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to Mangalore in India, however, signals the expanding risk to maritime traffic from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to a wider region.

“The Indian Navy continues to monitor the situation very closely with all stakeholders and remains committed to ensuring the safety of merchant shipping in the region,” the Ministry of Defence stated in a press release issued on Sunday.

The US Department of Defense alleged that the drone that struck the MT Chem Pluto had been fired from Iran.

New Delhi, however, carefully avoided echoing the US in blaming Iran for the attack, ostensibly to avoid straining its ties with Tehran.

The US Navy has launched “Operation Prosperity Guardian” with support from the navies and coast guards of more than 20 nations to protect maritime traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis. The Indian Navy also deployed warships like INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the region but has not officially joined the US-led operations.

A source in New Delhi said that the Indian Navy was operating in close coordination with the US and UK navies to deal with the situation in the wake of the attacks in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal as well as the Arabian Sea.

As soon as the MT Chem Pluto – escorted by the Indian Coast Guard patrol vessel Vikram – reaches Mumbai on Monday, a team of Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists will embark on it to sanitise the vessel and undertake further investigation, the Ministry of Defence stated in New Delhi. The chemical tanker was on its way to Mangalore when it was hit by a missile or a drone.

“The Indian Navy diverted a maritime patrol aircraft operating in the area undertaking routine surveillance. It also diverted INS Mormugao to assess the situation and provide assistance to MT Chem Pluto,” the Ministry of Defence stated on Sunday.

The naval maritime patrol aircraft overflew MT Chem Pluto and established contact with the crew. The crew reported all 22 crew members to be safe and that the fire had been extinguished. The Indian Navy also communicated details of the developing situation to all Indian maritime agencies to render necessary assistance, according to the statement issued by the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi.

After the MV Sai Baba came under attack in the southern Red Sea, the US Navy’s destroyer USS Laboon responded to the distress call from the ship. The M/V Blaamanen also came under attack by the Houthis around the same time, the US Central Command reported.