Tanker damaged following attack in Arabian Sea

A commercial tanker transiting the Arabian Sea suffered damage after it was struck by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrying explosives on Saturday, December 23, US and Indian officials have confirmed.

The Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Chem Pluto was some 200 nautical miles off Gujarat state and en route to New Mangalore after having earlier departed Saudi Arabia when it was struck by what the US Department of Defense claims was “a one-way attack drone fired from Iran” on the morning (local time) of Saturday.

The strike was then followed by a fire igniting on board the tanker, though the Indian Coast Guard assured that the crew were able to successfully extinguish the blaze.

No injuries have been reported among the one Vietnamese and 21 Indian nationals that comprised the crew, though there have been issues with the ship’s steering and power generation systems.

The tanker arrived in Mumbai on the afternoon of Monday, December 25. Shortly afterwards, the Indian Navy deployed some of its warships in the Arabian Sea to maintain what the service says is a “deterrent presence.”

In a statement released on Monday, the Indian Navy said analysis of debris found on the ship and of the area where the attack occurred indicates that a drone was responsible.

Various Indian government agencies have since begun a joint investigation into the attack.