New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS): The Navy once again came to the rescue of a cargo vessel with 22, including nine Indians onboard, which came under attack by drones in the Gulf of Aden.

The Navy received a distress call, and soon after the warship INS Visakhapatnam intercepted the vessel and provided the assistance.

The Indian Navy informed that its Guided Missile Destroyer INS Visakhapatnam mission deployed in Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations, "swiftly responded to a distress call by Marshall Island flagged MV Genco Picardy following a drone attack at 2311 hours on January 17 and intercepted the MV at 0030 hrs on 1January 18 to provide assistance".

MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew, including nine Indians, reported nil casualties and fire under control, said officials.

After intercepting the vessel, MV Genco Picardy, bomb experts from INS Visakhapatnam boarded the ship to inspect the damaged area. "Specialists, after a thorough inspection, have rendered the area safe for further transit. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call," Navy said.

The incident comes amid growing concerns over Houthi militants stepping up attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues. Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar has issued instructions to firmly deal with such maritime incidents.

On January 4 also Indian Navy's Mission Deployed platforms responded swiftly to a maritime incident in Arabian Sea involving a hijacking attempt onboard Liberia Flagged bulk carrier.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that the vessel had sent a message on the UKMTO portal indicating boarding by approximately five to six unknown armed personnel in the evening. Responding swiftly to the developing situation, the Indian Navy launched a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) and diverted INS Chennai deployed for Maritime Security Operations to assist the vessel, officials added.

The aircraft overflew the vessel on early morning of January 5 and established contact with the vessel, ascertaining the Safety of the crew, the MoD officials added.

According to the MoD, India has increased maritime surveillance in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy has deployed 10 warships here in view of the incidents of piracy and kidnapping. The Navy has doubled the number of warships here within the last few days. Navy helicopters have also been deployed on the warships.