Will find ship attackers even from depths of seas, vows Rajnath

MUMBAI: The Indian government has taken serious cognisance of the recent attacks on merchant navy ships, MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba, and will take strict action against the perpetrators by finding them even from the “depths of seas”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.

Speaking after the commissioning of stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal, Singh said India has intensified patrolling of the seas after the attacks.

“The government has taken the attacks very seriously. We will find those who executed the recent attacks on merchant navy ships even from the depths of the seas… The perpetrators will soon be brought to justice and strict action will be taken against them,” he said. “Together with our friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure,” Singh added.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said the Navy would take robust action, including boarding and searching all suspicious vessels. “We don’t want these attacks to come any closer. The closest attack that has happened is about 220 miles from our coast (referring to the attack on MV Chem Pluto) which is outside our Exclusive Economic Zone, but we want to ensure that nobody dares to come anywhere closer,” Kumar told reporters.

Four destroyers, P-8I aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, helicopters and Coast Guard ships have been deployed to counter the threats of piracy and drone attacks, he said.