A chemical tanker which was hit near in the Indian Ocean near Gujarat coast on Saturday was caused by an Iranian drone attack, said the US Department of Defence, as per a Reuters report.
A Pentagon spokesperson told the news agency: "The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran."
This was the "seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021", said the Pentagon statement.
Officials of the Indian Coast Guard said that the Indian Coast Guard Ship Vikram reached the distressed vessel on Saturday evening itself and is escorting it in Indian waters. "Indian Coast Guard Ship Vikram is escorting the MV Chem Pluto and they are expected to reach off Mumbai by tomorrow. ICGS Vikram reached the distressed ship last evening itself and is moving in Indian waters at the moment," said ICG officials, according to ANI.
The attack caused no casualty except for a brief fire on board the tanker which was extinguished. The incident took place only 200 nautical miles from the coast of Veraval in Gujarat, as per the news agency.
The vessel, with 20 Indian and one Vietnamese crew member on board, has departed from the United Arab Emirates on December 19 and was expected to reach new Mangalore port on December 25.
The Saturday attack was first reported by British maritime security firm Ambrey, stating that it occured in an area identified as a heightened threat zone for Iranian UAVs (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles).
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The attack highlights escalating regional tensions and new risk to shipping lanes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The incident also marks the first known attack of this nature taking place away from the Red Sea since the start of the war on October 7.
In an official statement, the Indian Coast Guard confirmed the successful dousing of the fire by the vessel's crew.
The Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received information about the incident, reported ANI, adding the crew reported that the fire had been extinguished, and there were no casualties.
"Merchant vessels are advised these types of attacks are typically targeted at Israel-affiliated shipping, but have in the past mistakenly hit previously Israel-affiliated vessels," Ambrey noted, as per Reuters.