Giving details, Indian Military officials said the hijacked ship had 15 Indians on board and communication has been established with the crew.

New Delhi: In the latest development to the cargo ship hijacking incident, the Indian Navy said it is keeping a close watch, and the Indian Navy warship INS Chennai is moving towards the hijacked vessel to tackle the situation. The development comes as a cargo ship named ‘MV LILA NORFOLK’ was hijacked late last evening near the coast of Somalia.

Indian Military officials told news agency ANI that the hijacked ship had 15 Indians on board and communication has been established with the crew.

They said the information about the ship being hijacked off Somalia coast was received on Thursday evening and Indian Navy aircraft have been keeping a watch on the ship.

News agency PTI reported that the incident of hijacking of the cargo ship MV Lila Norfolk was reported on Thursday by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British military organisation that tracks movements of various vessels in strategic waterways.

Indian Navy’s mission deployed platforms responded swiftly to a maritime incident in the Arabian Sea involving the hijacking on board a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, a Navy spokesperson told PTI.

He said the vessel sent a message on UKMTO portal indicating boarding by around five to six unknown armed personnel on Thursday evening.

Responding swiftly to the developing situation, Indian Navy launched a maritime patrol and has diverted INS Chennai deployed for maritime security Operations to assist the vessel.

It was learnt at the time of filing of this copy that the crew of the vessel comprised a number of Indians.

Indian Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft overflew the vessel early Friday and established contact with the vessel, ascertaining the safety of the crew, the official said.

“Naval aircraft continues to monitor movement and INS Chennai is closing the vessel to render assistance,” he said.

“The overall situation is being closely monitored, in coordination with other agencies in the area,” he said.

“The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring safety of merchant shipping in the region along with international partners and friendly foreign countries,” the spokesperson added.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)