In what could be an escalation of a spate of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels in Yemen, a suspected kamikaze drone attack has damaged an Israel-linked merchant ship nearly 200 nautical miles off India’s Gujarat coast line last Saturday (23). 

The incident, which saw merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto with a twenty-strong Indian crew struck with a yet to be identified projectile, which the Indian press reported was suspected to be an explosives carrying drone. No injuries were reported. 

New Delhi has scrambled Indian Navy and Coast Guard maritime patrol aircrafts to monitor the situation. Warships and Coast Guard patrol vessels have also been dispatched to render assistance to the vessel. The vessel is believed to have been enroute to India from Saudi Arabia when the incident occurred. 

Houthi rebels, widely believed to be backed by Iran, attacking civilian shipping in the Red Sea, particularly in and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen's western coast over the last few weeks have had serious implications on merchant shipping. Several freight lines have opted to seek safer but longer routes, adding more cost to the maritime trade in millions. The attack on MV Chem Pluto, if carried out using a drone, marks an escalation in the crisis, agency reports noted. 

It is reliably learnt that top security officials discussed the growing concerns regarding the situation in and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and its implication on Sri Lanka, during a high-level meeting held last week.