Indian Navy on Friday said it is closely monitoring a hijacked cargo ship ‘MV Lila Norfolk’. The ship has been hijacked late last evening near the coast of Somalia.
As per an official, there are 15 Indian crew on board the Liberian-flagged vessel. “Indian Navy aircraft have been keeping a watch on the ship and communication has been established with the crew," a military official said.
The ship sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations portal saying five to six unknown armed personnel had boarded on the evening of 4 January, the Indian navy statement said.
An Indian warship, the INS Chennai, was diverted and deployed to assist the vessel, the statement said, adding that a naval aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on Friday and had established contact with it.
“Naval aircraft continues to monitor movement and INS Chennai is closing the vessel to render assistance," a Navy official told,
"The overall situation is being closely monitored, in coordination with other agencies in the area," he said.
