On Saturday, the first footage of the rescued Indian crew from the hijacked Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lili Norfolk surfaced online. The joyful crew members can be heard in the video chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and praising the Indian Navy following the spectacular rescue mission by elite marine commandos MARCOs in the North Arabian Sea on Friday.
The MARCOs commandos rescued all 21 crew members from the bulk carrier, including 15 Indians, after boarding it from a warship, INS Chennai, in a quick action that took place after five to six armed pirates tried to capture the Liberian-flagged vessel.
#WATCH | First visuals of the rescued Indians, who were a part of the crew, onboard the hijacked vessel MV Lili Norfolk. The jubilant members of the crew chant "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and thank the Indian Navy.
All 21 crew, including 15 Indians, were safely evacuated by the Indian… pic.twitter.com/uoL96VIrEw
— ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2024
The Navy dispatched a warship, a maritime patrol aircraft P-8I, helicopters and MQ9B Predator drones to help the MV Lila Norfolk after it notified the UK Maritime Trade Operations portal that unknown armed people boarded it on Thursday evening.
#IndianNavy’s Swift Response to the Hijacking Attempt of MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea.
All 21 crew (incl #15Indians) onboard safely evacuated from the citadel.Sanitisation by MARCOs has confirmed absence of the hijackers.
The attempt of hijacking by the pirates… https://t.co/OvudB0A8VV pic.twitter.com/616q7avNjg
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 5, 2024
The crew members had been hiding in a safe room on the ship since last evening, when the pirates boarded the cargo ship, according to news agency PTI.
“All 21 crew including 15 Indians onboard the vessel were safely evacuated from the citadel,” Madhwal said.
“Sanitisation by MARCOs commandos has confirmed the absence of the hijackers. The attempt of hijacking by the pirates was probably abandoned with the forceful warning by Indian Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft of interception by naval warship,” he said.