India’s navy said Friday it was responding to the apparent hijacking of a cargo ship in the Arabian Sea, the latest incident of attacks on commercial shipping in the region.
Last month the force deployed several warships to the sea to “maintain a deterrent presence” following recent shipping attacks, including a drone attack off India’s coast blamed by the United States on Iran.
It comes as several ships have been diverted from the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched drone and missile attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is fighting Hamas militants. .
The navy said it had “immediately responded to a maritime incident in the Arabian Sea involving an attempted hijacking of a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier ship”.
Local media reported that about 15 Indian crew members were on board the ship.