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Weighing in on the suspected drone attack on an Indian cargo vessel on the high seas, defence expert Wg Cdr (retd) Praful Bakshi on Sunday said the incident marks a security concern for the country and the entire world as the ship came under fire in an 'innocent area' outside the conflict zone.
Speaking to ANI on Sunday, the former Indian Air Force (IAF) officer said the suspected drone strike spells concern as it was carried out within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the subcontinent and there were several Indians on board the vessel. "It is very surprising because now you can see the action that was going on around Israel and Gaza, the Red Sea, etc., is now spilling over into the Arabian Sea. That doesn't augur well for the security of this area. As far as we are concerned, it was within the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), close to the Porbandar coast and it had Indians on board," Bakshi told ANI. Earlier, a Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters that 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. According to the Indian Coast Guard, MV Chem Pluto has 20 Indians and one Vietnamese crew member on board. "It was a missile attack. Now they say it was a drone...that is immaterial. The question is whether it was attacked. Now, it means this area is not safe," Bakshi added. Calling on the Indian Navy and ICG to be 'ready and alert', the defence expert added, "We have to now position them for our betterment. Especially on the western coast. Anywhere, action can take place. Pakistan is on the other side. The other side can take advantage of this tension and things can happen." "I personally feel the armed forces have to be prepared for any eventuality that takes place," he added. 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 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. (ANI)
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