Indian Naval Ship Trikand, a mission-deployed stealth frigate of the Indian Navy operating in the Gulf of Aden, responded swiftly to a piracy attempt on MV Golden Arsenal, a St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged bulk carrier, on 01 Jul 26. The merchant vessel, while transiting from Aden, Yemen, reported an attempted pirate attack approximately 300 nautical miles east-northeast of Djibouti.
The piracy incident was reported in coordination with the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), following which INS Trikand, mission deployed in the region, was directed to intercept the merchant vessel. The merchant vessel, carrying 21 crew members, including one Indian national, reported damage to the bridge superstructure and adjoining compartments.
The crew had taken shelter in the vessel's citadel and were reported safe. On the morning of 02 Jul 26, a boarding team from INS Trikand embarked MV Golden Arsenal to sanitise the vessel and assess the situation. Following a thorough search, no suspicious personnel were found onboard.
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