Pak warship damaged part of Indian vessel: Naval chief

New Delhi, Jun 24 (PTI) Days after the brush off
incident between their warships in the Gulf of Aden, Indian
Navy Friday said Pakistani ship PNS Babur had damaged a part
of INS Godavari by moving too close to it.
Indian Naval Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma indicated that
the matter had been taken up with the international coalition
of naval forces operating against piracy.
He said PNS Babur, while escorting Egyptian merchant
vessel MV Suez which had been released by Somali pirates,
brushed off the Indian ship after moving close as it was
coming from behind.
"Our ship was going at a particular speed and the
other ship approached from the rear as it must have tried to
pass at a certain distance... but it didn't happen as it
turned up very close," Verma told reporters after the incident
that occurred last week.
"We operate helicopters from ships and we keep the
helicopter nets down (during landings). One of our helicopter
nets got damaged," he said.
The Naval chief said INS Godavari had been sent to
reassure the Indian sailors on board the MV Suez after its
release from captivity of Somali pirates.
"After that this incident took place where the
Pakistani Navy ship came much closer than what is considered
to be prudent by anybody operating ships in the seas," he
said.
Asked if the multi-national Combined Task Force 151,
under whose command the PNS Babar was operating, had been
informed about the incident, Verma said, "You can be sure that
everybody knows about that."
India has already lodged a protest with Pakistan over
the incident and provided photographic evidence about the
dangerous manoeuvres by PNS Babur. PTI AJD
SSB