India sends warships to the Arabian Sea
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Houthi rebels from Yemen have increasingly attacked ships in the Red Sea. On Saturday, the oil and chemical tanker "MV Chem Pluto" was hit. It was attacked with drones. India is now responding and deploying its navy.
India wants to send three warships to the Arabian Sea following a suspected drone attack on a merchant ship off its coast. These should serve as a deterrent, according to the Indian navy. The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker "MV Chem Pluto" was hit around 200 nautical miles off the mainland last Saturday. The crew was able to extinguish a fire on board. There were no injuries or fatalities.
After the attack, the Indian coast guard escorted the tanker to the port of the Indian metropolis of Mumbai, it was reported. The ship was supposed to be carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the southern Indian city of Mangaluru, according to the Ministry of Defense in New Delhi. India is heavily dependent on oil from the Middle East - even though the country has been sourcing more Russian oil since the war in Ukraine.
According to the local news agency PTI, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that it was being investigated who was responsible for the attacks. According to the US Department of Defense, Iran is to blame. The Foreign Ministry in Tehran rejected the accusation. Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, an increasing number of ships in the Red Sea have been attacked by the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen.
Several large shipping companies have changed the routes of their ships as a result. They are taking major detours to avoid the Red Sea. On Saturday, a high-ranking general of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) warned the USA and the West that further international sea routes could be blocked.
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- Given the escalating attacks on ships by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, particularly in the Red Sea, India has decided to send three warships to the Arabian Sea as a preventive measure.
- The recent attack on the Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker "MV Chem Pluto" off the Indian coast, suspected to be a drone strike, has further highlighted the threat posed by these Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran.
- The ongoing Israel war in Gaza and the subsequent attacks on ships in the Red Sea have caused several shipping companies to alter their routes, with many taking major detours to bypass the Red Sea, affecting maritime traffic significantly.
Source: www.ntv.de
