Indian Navy warships force 35 Somali pirates to surrender, free 17 crew members

New Delhi: After nearly two days, two Indian Navy warships on Saturday were finally able to force 35 Somali pirates to surrender while rescuing the crew members of a commercial vessel that had been taken over by the pirates.

“INS Kolkata, in the last 40 hours, through concerted actions successfully cornered and coerced all 35 Pirates to surrender and ensured safe evacuation of 17 crew members in the evening of March 16 from the pirate vessel without any injury,” a navy spokesperson said. A second naval warship, aircraft and marine commandos were also part of the operation.

The guided-missile destroyer intercepted the ship MV Ruen at a site 1400 nautical miles (2600 km) from the Indian coast and forced the captured ship to stop through calibrated actions, augmented by the patrol craft INS Subhadra.

The operation also involved the deployment of P8I maritime patrol aircraft, marine commandos air-dropped by C-17 aircraft, and high-altitude long-endurance UAVs.

“The vessel has been sanitised for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition and contraband,” said the spokesperson.

The Malta-flagged MV Ruen, which was hijacked by Somali pirates on December 14, was reported to have been utilized as a mother ship for conducting piracy operations on the high seas.

When the Indian warship intercepted the pirate vessel, it came under fire, prompting the warship to take defensive action in accordance with international law. The pirates were then asked to surrender and release both the vessel and its crew.

The crew members onboard were primarily from Bulgaria, Angola, and Myanmar.

On Friday, the Indian Navy’s missile frigate INS Tarkash intercepted another hijacked ship, the Bangladeshi bulk carrier MV Abdullah, and successfully ensured the safety of the crew. However, the crew could not be released from the Somali pirates.

Since December, there has been a notable increase in piracy attempts in the Arabian Sea after a gap of approximately 7-8 years. This surge is attributed to the crisis in the Red Sea, which has compelled many naval vessels deployed in the region to redirect their focus towards areas of conflict.