Page 23 - Indian Navy

Initial probe reveal merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto being hit by drone: Navy

The Indian Navy's explosive ordnance disposal team on Monday carried out a detailed inspection of merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on its arrival in Mumbai, two days after it was hit by a drone off India's west coast in the Arabian Sea. Analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship pointed towards a drone attack and further forensic and technical analysis will be required to ascertain all the details, Navy officials said. The commercial vessel, with 21 Indian crew members, was struck by a drone about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday following which both the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard deployed a number of assets to provide assistance to the ship. In view of the spate of recent attacks on commercial vessels in Arabian Sea, the Navy deployed warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata to maintain a deterrent presence in the region, the officials said. Long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8Is are being regularly tasked to maintain domain

Indian Navy to commission Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer 'Imphal' on Tue

The event marks the formal induction into the Navy of the third of four 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau

Navy begins probe into attack on merchant vessel off India's west coast

The Indian Navy has launched an investigation into a suspected drone strike on a Mangalore-bound cargo vessel off India's west coast in the Arabian sea even as the merchant ship is on its way to Mumbai, officials familiar with the matter said on Sunday. The Navy and the Indian Coast Guard swung into action by deploying their assets including a warship and maritime patrol aircraft on Saturday soon after the UK Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, reported the drone "attack" on MV Chem Pluto that has around 20 Indian crew members. There was no report of any casualty in the incident. The Liberian flagged vessel is now on its way to Mumbai and Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram is providing security to it, the officials said. The Navy has launched an investigation into the incident including into the origin of the strike, said an official on the condition of anonymity as the matter is sensitive in nature. The vessel, carrying crude oil to the New Mangalore port from the Al Jubail po

Oil tanker MV Sai Baba with Indian crew comes under attack in Red Sea

The incident marks the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17, CENTCOM said in its statement

Merchant vessel with 21 Indians hit by drone, Navy deploys patrol aircraft

A suspected drone attack on a merchant vessel with 21 Indian crew in the Arabian Sea off India's west coast caused an explosion on Saturday but there was no report of any casualties in the incident, according to military sources and a maritime agency. A P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, deployed by the Indian Navy after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, reported the incident, ascertained the safety of the vessel and its crew, Indian military sources said. An attack by Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) on a vessel 200 nautical miles South West of Veraval, India, caused "an explosion and fire", the UKMTO said on its website. Indian Navy officials said a maritime patrol aircraft sent to the area flew overhead the merchant vessel and established contact with it. "The aircraft ascertained the safety of the vessel and its crew," said a Navy official. The Navy has already dispatched a frontline warship for safety of the cargo vessel. It is learnt that the Indian Coast Guar

Suspected drone attack on merchant ship; crew, vessel safe: Coast Guard

A suspected drone attack led to an explosion and a fire on a merchant ship with 21 Indians onboard off the Gujarat coast on Saturday morning, disrupting its power supply, Coast Guard sources said. The 22-member crew and the vessel, Chem Pluto, are safe, they said. The ship was on its way to New Mangalore from Saudi Arabia, the sources said. The fire has been extinguished and the ship's engineers are working to restore its electricity supply which got disrupted in the incident, they said. Indian Coast Guard Ship Vikram, which was on Exclusive Economic Zone patrol, was diverted to the site, they said. The MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) Mumbai received an email from the ship's agent, Fleet Management, about a fire on board suspected due to a drone attack 217 nautical miles off Porbandar at around 10 am, said an official from the maritime security agency. The vessel has 21 Indians, including the master, and a Nepali citizen, the official added. The crew could extinguish

Ship hit by suspected drone attack; Indian Navy, Coast Guard en route scene

Taking swift action, the Indian Coast Guard Ship ICGS Vikram, deployed on patrol of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone started moving towards the merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto in distress

France submits response to India's tender for buying 26 Rafales for Navy

India issued a letter of request in October for acquisition of 22 single-seat jets and four twin-seat trainers

Cochin Shipyard, Defence ministry sign Rs 488 cr contract for ship repairs

Cochin Shipyard Limited signed a Rs 488.25 crore contract with the Defence ministry for repair and maintenance of equipment onboard naval vessels

Indian Navy rescues injured crew member from hijacked Malta commercial ship

The injured crew member has a bullet injury near his shoulder and has been taken to Oman for specialised treatment under the care of Indian Navy doctors

Indian Navy evacuates injured sailor from ship hijacked off Somalia coast

The Indian Navy has evacuated one of the 18 crew members onboard a Malta-flagged hijacked cargo vessel off the coast of Somalia to provide medical care after he was injured by the pirates, officials said on Tuesday. It is learnt that the sailor, a Bulgarian national, was injured in firing by the pirates. The sailor was evacuated by frontline ship INS Kochi. "The Indian Navy rendered assistance in evacuation of an injured crew member from the hijacked vessel MV Ruen in the early hours of Monday," said an official. "The injured crew member had sustained injuries during the piracy incident but was reported to be stable. Towards ensuring his safety, the Indian Navy ship was successful in ensuring his release by the hijackers," he added. The official said the injured sailor has been taken to Oman. "The injured crew member was medically managed onboard the ship but due to urgent medical attention required, which was beyond the scope of the ship, he has been transferred ashore at Oman,"

Indian Navy Recruitment 2023: Registration open for 910 vacancies

Interested and qualified applicants for the INCET 2024 can register online through the official website at joinindiannavy.gov.in for 910 vacancies

Winter Session: Indian Navy has shortage of 10,896 personnel, says govt

The Indian Navy is reeling under a shortage of 10,896 personnel including 1,777 officers, according to details provided by the defence ministry in Parliament on Friday. Responding to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt also said 9,119 posts of sailors are lying vacant in the Navy as on October 31. He said the shortage in the officer-rank is 1,777. The sanctioned strength of officers and sailors in the Navy is 11,979 and 76,649. Bhatt said a total of 323 officers were recruited in 2021 while the number in 2022 was 386. In 2021, 5,547 sailors were inducted into the Navy. The number in 2022 was 5,171, he added. To a separate question, he said a technology development fund to provide financial assistance to Indian industries, startups as well as academic and scientific institutions for the development of defence and dual use technologies. The fund is also aimed at engaging the private industries especially MSMEs and startups to bring in the culture of de

Navy ranks to be renamed in line with Indian traditions, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced the Navy will name its ranks in line with Indian traditions and asserted the country is moving forward abandoning the slavery mentality. He expressed his government's commitment to increasing the numerical strength of women in the armed forces and hailed the appointment of a female officer to command a naval ship for the first time. Paying tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for his vision and warfare strategy, he noted the 17th century Maratha king knew the importance of naval power. The PM was speaking at a Navy Day event held at Malvan in coastal Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, around 500km from Mumbai. Earlier in the day, Modi extended greetings on Navy Day, saying the commitment of navy personnel in safeguarding India's seas is a testament to their unwavering dedication to duty and love for the nation. "We are emphasising on increasing the number of women in the armed forces," he said at the event in Malvan held in the

Govt committed to increasing strength of women in armed forces: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the government is committed to increasing the strength of women in the armed forces. He was speaking at the Navy Day event held in coastal Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. We are emphasising increasing the number of women in the armed forces, he said. Today, India is setting bigger targets for itself and is utilising its full potential to achieve those targets," he said. Modi said India is giving unprecedented support to port-led development. "Merchant shipping is also being encouraged. India is moving towards utilising the potential of its oceans," he said. He said ranks in the Indian Navy would be renamed according to the Indian culture. Shortly before the Navy Day event, Modi unveiled a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot fort in the district. Modi later witnessed the operational demonstrations by Indian Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and Special Forces from the Tarkarli beach.

GRSE delivers India's 'largest-ever' survey vessel to navy: Official

Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd on Monday delivered the largest-ever survey vessel to be built in the country - INS Sandhayak - to the Indian Navy, an official said. INS Sandhayak, the first in a series of four survey vessels being made by GRSE for the navy, was launched on December 5, 2021, and was undergoing fitting out and trials thereafter. The 110-metre-long ship was delivered on December 4, which is observed as Navy Day, the GRSE official said. The protocol of delivery and acceptance was signed between GRSE Chairman and MD, Commodore (retd) P R Hari, and commanding officer of the vessel, Commodore R M Thomas. INS Sandhayak is the reincarnation of another ship by the same name, which was also a survey vessel. That ship had been commissioned into the navy in 1981 and decommissioned in 2021, the official said. Fully designed by the GRSE, the survey ships are capable of full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic survey of port and harbour ...

Exhaust every resource to bring back ex-Navy staff from Qatar: Adhir in LS

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday demanded that the government "exhausts every resource" to bring back the eight former naval personnel who were handed death sentences by a court in Qatar. The Indian nationals were handed the death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance on October 26. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Chowdhury said the government should exhaust every resource to get rid of the charges against the Indian nationals convicted by the Qatari court. An appeal has already been filed against the death sentence and a higher court in Qatar has admitted the plea. The appeal has been filed by the legal team of the detained Indian nationals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai last week and discussed the well-being of the Indian community in that ...

Indian Navy Day 2023: History, significance, event, quotes and more

Indian Navy Day 2023: India observes Navy Day every year on December 4, to remember the ultimate sacrifice of our brave navy personnel and demonstrate to the world our naval capabilities

INS Vikramaditya, INS Vikrant to be deployed for Milan-2024: Indian Navy

The Indian Navy has planned to deploy both its aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant on the eastern seaboard during Milan-2024, a flagship international naval exercise hosted by Vizag from February 19-27 next year, a senior official said on Sunday. "The event will be held under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Indian Navy with likely participation from nearly 50 friendly countries as a delegation, and 20 foreign warships along with one maritime patrol aircraft, said Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag-Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) Eastern Naval Command. Navies from the US, Japan, Australia, France, Bangladesh, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia are set to be among the participating nations in the Milan-2024 exercise to be conducted off Visakhapatnam next year, he added. The upcoming exercise will be the biggest multilateral military war game to be hosted by India ever. It will feature large-force manoeuvres, advanced air defence ..

Navy appoints first woman commanding officer in naval ship: Admiral Kumar

The Indian Navy has appointed the first woman commanding officer in a naval ship in sync with its philosophy of 'all roles-all ranks' for female personnel, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Friday. Addressing a press conference ahead of Navy Day, Admiral Kumar said the Indian Navy's ships, submarines, and aircraft have sustained a high operational tempo in the strategic waters in the last one year. On China's increasing forays into the Indian Ocean, he said the Indian Navy monitors all activities in the region. "Our ships, submarines, and aircraft have sustained a high operational tempo - undertaking missions and tasks encompassing military, diplomatic, constabulary and benign roles," he said. "Our units were deployed across the Indian Ocean Region and beyond, to protect and promote our national interests," he said. Admiral Kumar said the Indian Navy has appointed the first woman commanding officer in a naval ship. However he did not provide further details. Vice Admiral Di