A military ship and aircraft were deployed today in the Arabian Sea to patrol the waters following an attempted hijacking of a merchant vessel flying the Liberian flag. These are units sent by the Indian Navy. According to rumors, the ship "MV Lila Norfolk" was targeted by pirates. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault.

"The crew members stated that they are in their vault and that they are maneuvering the ship from there. The situation is being monitored closely, in coordination with the other agencies present in the area", said a Indian Navy spokesperson, Commander Mehul Karnik.

According to an initial reconstruction of the incident, the commercial ship sent an alarm message on the United Kingdom's maritime commercial operations portal, indicating that it had been boarded last night by five or six armed people. This morning an Indian military plane flew over the ship, establishing contact with the crew. An Indian navy unit is next to the merchant ship.