An Israel-affiliated merchant vessel off India's west coast was hit by an unmanned drone, causing a fire, British maritime agency said. The crew includes 20 Indians. An Indian Coast Guard vessel is moving towards the merchant vessel, which is 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast, ANI reported.
The fire on the Liberian-flagged chemical products tanker was extinguished without crew casualties in the incident 200 km (120 miles) southwest of Veraval, India, it said. All crew members are safe.
"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. It said the Indian navy was responding.
The vessel, which was carrying crude oil, was going towards Mangaluru from a port in Saudi Arabia. According to authorities, Coast Guard Ship, ICGS Vikram, whoch was patrolling the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone, has been directed towards the ship in distress.
Reportedly, the Coast Guard has established communication with the affected vessel. After the attack, the ship switched off its Automatic Identification System, which can be used for tracking, officials told ANI.
The ship's power generation system is functioning now and a few checks are being carried out, officials added.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the attack was by an Uncrewed Aerial System, and authorities are investigating it.
The incident comes days after Indian Navy helped the evacuation of an injured sailor from a hijacked Malta-flagged cargo vessel on Monday.
