US Says Iranian Drone Struck Ship In Indian Ocean; Coast Guard To Escort Distressed MV Chem Pluto To Mumbai

The Pentagon has said that an Iranian drone on Saturday struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, Reuters reported. "The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker, was struck at approximately 10 am local time (6 am GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran," a Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters. The incident comes as the latest illustration of the growing regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

The Pentagon said this was the "seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021". An India-bound merchant vessel, MV Chem Pluto, with 20 Indian and one Vietnamese crew member on Saturday caught fire after it was attacked by a suspected drone. It was later secured by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the ICG said in an official statement.

DRONE ATTACK ON MV CHEM PLUTO-Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre,Mumbai received information regarding fire onboard MV Chem Pluto. The Merchant ship with 20 Indian &01 Vietnamese Crew was reportedly attacked by a suspected drone strike on aerial platform.(1/6) pic.twitter.com/CpioW9MfT9 — Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 23, 2023

The merchant vessel reportedly commenced its voyage from the UAE on December 19 and was bound for New Mangalore port with an arrival date of December 25. According to the official statement, on December 23, the Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received information regarding a fire onboard MV Chem Pluto, reportedly attacked by a suspected drone strike or aerial platform.

The Indian Coast Guard Maritime Coordination Centre (MRCC), which established real-time communication with the vessel's agent, ascertained no loss of life and assured all assistance. It was also learned that the vessel fire had been doused by the crew. To augment the vessel's safety, MRCC Mumbai has activated ISN and immediately diverted other merchant vessels in the vicinity of Chem Pluto for assistance. The ship is being escorted to Mumbai.

"The Indian Coast Guard also pressed Offshore Patrol vessel Vikram and Coast Guard Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft into action for rendering assistance to Chem Pluto. The Coast Guard Dornier aircraft has sanitised the area and established communication with Chem Pluto. The vessel has started making its way towards Mumbai after undertaking damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems," the statement further read.