A Marshall Island-flagged cargo vessel, the MV Genco Picardy, carrying 22 crew members, including nine Indians, experienced a drone strike in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday night.
Responding promptly, the Indian Navy’s “mission deployed” guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam reacted within an hour of receiving the distress call, PTI reported.
The attack took place 60 nautical miles south of Port Aden.
Indian Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists boarded the vessel early Thursday morning to assess the damage.
After a thorough inspection, they cleared the ship for further transit.
INS Visakhapatnam, engaged in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, acknowledged the distress call and intercepted the vessel at 0030 hours on Thursday to provide assistance.
The cargo vessel is now proceeding to its next port of call.
