Attacks Spread: Ship Hit by Iranian Drone in the Indian Ocean “Klimbim” Star Ingrid Steeger Dies

According to the US Department of Defense, Iran is responsible for a drone attack on a merchant ship in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India. The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker “MV Chem Pluto” was hit by an attack drone from Iran around 10 a.m. local time (7 a.m. CET) on Saturday morning, the Pentagon in Washington said. A fire on board the tanker was extinguished. There were no deaths or injuries in the incident, the statement said on Saturday (local time).

There were no US Navy ships in the area at the time of the attack. The tanker therefore continues its journey to India. It is the seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021.

Indian media and the British Maritime Observatory (UKMTO) had earlier reported on a suspected drone attack on the tanker “MV Chem Pluto”. According to Indian and American sources, the incident took place about 200 nautical miles off the Indian coast. According to the Indian Defense Ministry, the ship was carrying crude oil and was en route from Saudi Arabia to the southern Indian city of Mangaluru.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, ships in the Red Sea have been increasingly attacked by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. On Saturday, a senior general of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) warned the US and the West that further international sea routes could be blocked. (sda/dpa)