In a statement late on December 25, the Indian Ministry of Defense said three stealth, guided-missile destroyers had been deployed “in various areas” in the Arabian Sea to maintain deterrence against “a spate of recent attacks.” Indian forces will also use long-range maritime patrol aircraft in the effort, according to Al Jazeera.
According to the statement, the warships deployed by India include INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata.
Iran shows off new cruise missile after US accuses it of launching UAV at chemical tanker near India
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on December 26 that New Delhi is committed to ensuring that shipping routes in the Indian Ocean region are safe for maritime trade.
"India plays the role of a security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region increases from sea to sky," Reuters quoted Singh as saying at the commissioning ceremony of another guided-missile destroyer in the western Indian city of Mumbai.
Indian destroyer INS Mormugao
Mr Singh said the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taking seriously the attack on the chemical tanker MV Chem Pluto in the Indian Ocean on December 23, as well as the previous attack on the crude oil tanker MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea.
The Pentagon said on December 23 that a drone launched from Iran attacked the MV Chem Pluto in the Indian Ocean, about 200 nautical miles off the coast of India. The attack came as a US-led task force is trying to deal with similar challenges in the Red Sea posed by the Houthis.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said on December 25 that the US accusations were "baseless," according to Reuters.
The MV Chem Pluto is the first ship to be attacked outside the Red Sea since the Hamas-Israel conflict erupted on October 7. The Houthis, a powerful military force in Yemen backed by Iran, have said they will continue to pursue attacks on Israeli ships or those directed at Israel until it ends its war in Gaza.
Iran denies US accusations of helping Houthi group attack ships in Red Sea
The Indian Navy said it was investigating the nature of the attack on the MV Chem Puto, which was “safely anchored” at the port in Mumbai on 25 December.
According to the Indian Ministry of Defence, initial assessments “indicate it was a drone attack”. However, investigators “will need to conduct further forensic and technical analysis to determine the attack vector, including the type and quantity of explosives used”, according to Al Jazeera.
The Indian Ministry of Defense also said the ship has now been "permitted to resume operations" by the company that operates it. The ship's crew includes 21 Indians and one Vietnamese national, according to Reuters.
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