Rajnath Singh says will find those behind merchant ship attacks 'even from depths of seas'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was in Mumbai for the commissioning of INS Imphal

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 26 said the country would take action against those behind the recent attacks on Indian merchant navy ships even if they are in the "depths of the seas".

"The Indian government has taken the drone attack on MV Chem Pluto and attack on MV Saibaba in the Red Sea seriously. We will find those who executed the recent attacks on merchant navy ships even from the depths of the seas and take strict action against them," Singh said, while speaking after the commissioning of stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal in Mumbai.

MV Chem Pluto with 21 Indian crew members, was struck by a drone about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on December 23. The vessel was Liberian-flagged and Japanese-owned. This was followed by MV Saibaba, a Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members, coming under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea on December 24. No casualties were recorded in both the incidents.

"Nowadays the turbulence in the sea has increased a bit. India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred," Singh added.

Following the attacks, the India Navy said it will deploy guided missile destroyer ships in the Arabian Sea, in an effort to "maintain a deterrent presence".

"Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy has deployed Guided Missile Destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata ...in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence," the navy statement said.

The navy added that it was investigating the nature of the attack on the vessel, MV Chem Pluto, which is presently docked in Mumbai.

"Further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used," the statement added.

The Pentagon had, on December 23, alleged that a drone launched from Iran struck the MV Chem Pluto in the Indian Ocean. The strike came as a US-led task force is trying to counter similar challenges in the Red Sea. A spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, however, called the allegations levelled by Washington as "baseless".