NEW DELHI, India: The Indian Navy on Saturday ended a three-month hijacking of the Malta-flagged bulk carrier MV Ruen by recapturing the vessel and rescuing its crew from Somali pirates off the Indian coast, the military said.
The December hijacking was the first time Somali pirates had successfully hijacked a cargo ship since 2017.
“#IndianNavy thwarts designs of Somali pirates to hijack ships plying through the region by intercepting ex-MV Ruen,” India’s navy posted on X.
The Indian warship Kolkata “in the last 40 hours, through concerted actions successfully cornered and coerced all 35 Pirates to surrender & ensured safe evacuation of 17 crew members,” the navy said late Saturday adding Indian forces first intercepted the MV Ruen on Friday.
“The vessel opened fire on the warship, which is taking actions (in accordance with) international law, in self-defence & to counter piracy, with minimal force necessary to neutralise the pirates’ threat to shipping and seafarers,” they said.
None of the rescued crew members were injured in the operation spanning over several days. The operation was carried out with the support of several naval vessels along with helicopters and other aircraft, the navy said.
The pirate ship was captured nearly 1,400 nautical miles or 2,600 kilometers off the Indian coast, according to the military.
The Indian Navy has been tracking the MV Ruen since it was seized by Somali pirates 380 nautical miles east of the Yemeni island of Socotra in December.
India’s military has stepped up anti-piracy efforts in recent months following an increase in naval attacks, including those in the Arabian Sea and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia peaked in 2011 – with militants striking as far as 3,655 kilometers off the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean – before falling sharply in recent years.
But the December attack followed a surge in armed naval attacks around the Horn of Africa that had not been seen for years.
Analysts warn that Somali piracy is nowhere near the threat it was in 2011, when navies around the world had to deploy warships to fend off the scourge.
The recent uptick in pirate activity has raised concerns about maritime security and shipping at a time when important trade corridors off Yemen have come under siege due to the Gaza war.
