In a recent rescue, the Indian Navy saved 23 lives, of which 13 were Indians from a merchant ship that was attacked by a drone strike in the Gulf of Aden.

#IndianNavy swiftly responds to a Maritime Incident in #GulfofAden

Liberian-flagged MV #MSCSkyII transiting approximately 90 Nm South East of Aden was reported on fire due to drone/ missile attack PM 04 Mar.
#INSKolkata, mission deployed in the region for maritime security… pic.twitter.com/AG15Krocjr

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 5, 2024

Per the statement by the Indian Navy, the Liberian-flagged MSC Sky II was on fire after it was attacked by a missile or drone on March 4. The vessel was headed to Djibouti from Singapore.

The Indian Naval Ship INS Kolkata was deployed in the region for security operations during the attack. Hence, it quickly responded and reached the site by 10:30 p.m., according to sources.

A 12-member firefighting team from the INS Kolkata boarded the MSC Sky II in the early morning of March 5 to help extinguish the fire. Another EOD team also reached the scene to assist.

The MSC Sky II had a 23-member crew, 13 of whom were Indians. The Indian Navy rescued all of them.

This latest incident on Monday came amidst rising concerns over attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Houthis, who are demanding an end to the killing of Palestinians in Gaza.

References: WION, India Today, Times of India