Indian Navy's Elite Commandos Foil Hijacking

The Indian Navy rescued all 21 crew members aboard the cargo ship 'MV Lila Norfolk' that was hijacked on Friday evening near the coast of Somalia. Salute! Indian Navy showing the world how it is done!

In its distress call, the ship said that five or six "unknown armed personnel" had come on board. Indian Navy's quick and decisive action prevented a potentially dangerous situation from unfolding. We are thankful to the intelligence and skill of the elite commandos.

The Navy deployed a warship, maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, and Predator MQ9B drones soon after a SOS call from the ship. There were 21 members, including 15 Indians, on the 84,000-tonne bulk carrier, all of whom are safe.

Indian Navy's elite MARCOS commandos were sent on board to carry out a search and rescue operations, after carrying out a sanitisation of the entire ship, the commandos confirmed the absence of hijackers on the ship.

Marcos have the capability to operate in all three domains-sea, air and land. They infiltrate territories using airborne raids, helicopter assaults or sea landings.

The open sea can present vulnerabilities for ships, potentially exposing their IP addresses and making them susceptible to attacks like hijacking. The ship was sailing near the coast of Somalia, a known piracy hotspot. Pirates in this region often operate in small, fast boats, making them difficult to detect and intercept.

The level of cybersecurity protection on the ship is unknown. Outdated software, weak passwords, or unsecured communication protocols could have made the vessel vulnerable to hacking attempts. They could have Mask or Redaction technique of IP address, which are beaming every second, it makes the crooks to identify the location of the Ships movements.

It is all about Open Sea Vulnerabilities:

Traditional satellite communication used by ships at sea can be expensive and have bandwidth limitations. This can make it challenging to implement robust cybersecurity measures or receive real-time security updates.

While less common than physical piracy, cyberattacks on ships are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Hackers could exploit vulnerabilities in onboard systems to gain access to sensitive information,including IP addresses, navigation data, and crew communications.

Patrolling vast stretches of open ocean is a complex task for any navy. Pirates or other attackers may take advantage of gaps in surveillance or rely on speed and surprise to approach and board ships before authorities can intervene.

Steve Kunzer, chief executive of the vessel's Dubai-based owners Lila Global, thanked the Indian Navy for the rescue. We also want to thank the professionalism of our crew who reacted safely and responsibly under the circumstances, he said in a statement.

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