The Navy captures MV Ruen off the Indian coast, ending the three-month hijacking of the Maltese-flagged bulk service.
Indian naval forces, together with particular commandos, seized a cargo ship that had been hijacked by Somali pirates and rescued 17 crew members, a navy spokesman stated.
In a put up on the X social platform on Saturday, the navy stated that every one 35 pirates aboard the Maltese-flagged grain cargo ship MV Ruen had surrendered, and the ship had been checked for the presence of unlawful weapons, ammunition and contraband.
The MV Ruen was hijacked late final 12 months and the navy stated it intercepted the vessel on Friday.
“The pirates on board the vessel have been known as to give up and launch the vessel and all civilians who could also be held in opposition to their will,” the navy stated in an announcement.
“The Indian Navy stays dedicated to maritime safety and the protection of seafarers within the area,” he added.
The vessel could have been used as a base for the seizure of a Bangladeshi-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia earlier this week, the European Union's naval power stated.
The hijacking of the Ruen in December was the primary profitable seizure of a ship involving Somali pirates since 2017, when a crackdown by worldwide navies ended a sequence of seizures within the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
#INSKolkatawithin the final 40 hours, via concerted actions he efficiently captured and compelled all 35 pirates to give up and ensured the protected evacuation of 17 crew members this night. # March 16 24 from the pirate ship with out damage.#INSKolkata had carried out the… https://t.co/eKxfEdMRES pic.twitter.com/tmQq2fG8yE
– Navy Spokesperson (@indiannavy) March 16, 2024
Somali pirates have wreaked havoc in vital world waterways for a decade, however had been dormant till a resurgence of assaults starting late final 12 months.
India has deployed not less than a dozen warships to the jap Pink Sea to offer safety in opposition to pirates as Western powers concentrate on assaults by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The navy of the subcontinent has additionally elevated its surveillance of the Arabian Sea after a current assault within the area.
In January, the navy rescued all crew members from a Liberian-flagged service provider ship after its tried hijacking within the Arabian Sea.
At the least 17 incidents of hijacking, tried hijacking and suspicious approaches have been recorded by the Indian navy since December 1.
Information from the Indian Navy's Data Fusion Middle – Indian Ocean Area exhibits not less than three hijackings in December.
