IAF & Navy’s Anti-Piracy Op: 35 Somali pirates captured; hijacked ship intercepted.

GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL 

SHYAM SOOD

Approximately 37800 Tone6 of cargo worth 1 million dollars will be brought safely to India.

RAJOURI-DELHI, MARCH 17:-In a 40 hours long anti-piracy operation on Friday & Saturday, the Indian Navy has thwarted the designs of the Somali pirates to hijack ships transiting through Arabian Sea region by intercepting the pirate ship MV Ruen.
The merchant vessel had been hijacked by Somali pirates in December 2023 and was under the control till now and pirates had been using the ship MV Ruen to hijack other vessels transiting through the region.
Also, in a first in recent times the Indian navy has taken into custody all the 35 Somali pirates and brought them back to India for trials.
The Indian Navy as part of the Maritime Security Operations has been carrying out extensive surveillance in the region including monitoring of traffic in Areas of Interest.
The Indian Navy tracked the movement of the pirate Ship Ruen through surveillance information and directed INS Kolkata to intercept the ship approximately 260 Nm East of Somalia.
On 15 March morning Kolkata intercepted MV Ruen & confirmed the presence of armed pirates through a ship-launched drone.
In a reckless hostile act, the pirates shot down the drone and fired at the Indian Naval warship.
In a calibrated response and following the law of the sea, INS Kolkata then disabled the ship’s steering system and navigational aids, forcing the pirate ship to stopstop.
INS Kolkata undertook precisely measured actions while maintaining her position close to the Pirate Ship and engaged in forceful negotiations, which resulted in the Pirates surrendering and releasing the pirate ship MV Ruen and its original crew present onboard.
The efforts of the Indian Navy in the ongoing anti-piracy operation 1400 nm (2600 km) from mainland India were augmented by the deployment of INS Subhadra in the area and by airdropping of the Marine Commandos (PRAHARS) by C-17 aircraft in the same afternoon.
The pirate vessel was kept under surveillance by HALE RPA and P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
Due to sustained pressure and calibrated actions by the Indian Navy over the last 40 hours, all 35 Somali pirates surrendered on Saturday and the Indian Navy also evacuated 17 original crew members of MV Ruen.
The vessel has also been sanitised for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition, and contraband.
The sea worthiness of MV Ruen will be assessed in the morning on 17 March 2024, and the vessel which is carrying approx. 37800 T of cargo estimated at around one million dollars will be brought safely to India.
The culmination of the ongoing Anti-Piracy operation involving pirate ship Ruen in the Southern IOR highlights the commitment of the Indian Navy towards reinforcing peace and stability, and to thwart the resurgence of Piracy in the region.
The Indian Navy remains steadfast in performing its role as the ‘First Responder’ in the Indian Ocean Region.