A drone strike on Saturday, December 23, damaged an Israeli-affiliated merchant ship in the Indian Ocean but no casualties were reported.
The attack resulted in a fire on Liberia-flagged tanker occurring 200 km southwest of Gujarat’s Veraval, India, according to UKMTO, the British military’s maritime trade operations.
“UKMTO have received a report of an attack by Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) on a vessel causing an explosion and fire. Incident 200NM South West of Veraval, India. Fire extinguished, no casualties Authorities are investigating,” UKMTO said in a statement on X.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” it added.
Ambrey, a maritime security firm, has confirmed that a Libya-flagged chemical/products tanker is associated with Israel.
“Some structural damage was also reported and some water was taken onboard. The vessel was Israel-affiliated. She had last called Saudi Arabia and was destined for India at the time,” the firm said on its website as per Reuters.
The incident occurred following attacks by Houthi militants from Iran-backed Yemen targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Houthis have escalated their attacks on commercial ships and tankers in the Red Sea to demonstrate their support for Palestinian militant group Hamas in the ongoing conflict.
