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Saturday March 16, 2024
Unidentified pirate aboard the MV Ruen, intercepted by the Indian Navy on Friday, March 16, 2024. The swift action prevented further acts of piracy in the region. Photo credit: Indian Navy.
Mogadishu (HOL) – The Indian navy has thwarted Somali pirates from using a cargo ship they previously hijacked for further acts of piracy, ANI news service said on Saturday, citing Indian navy officials.
According to the Indian Navy, they intercepted the ex-MV Ruen, a Malta-flagged cargo vessel previously hijacked by Somali pirates in December. An armed confrontation occurred when the hijacked ship, repurposed for piracy, engaged in gunfire against the approaching Indian naval warship.
The Indian navy responded with live fire ” with minimal force necessary to neutralize the pirates’ threat to shipping and seafarers,” according to a statement.
The latest incident marks just one of India’s recent successful counter-piracy operations.
Earlier this month, the navy rescued the crew of a Bangladeshi-flagged cargo vessel hijacked in the Indian Ocean. The crew members, all Bangladesh nationals, were confirmed safe after the navy’s intervention.
January also saw notable interventions by the Indian Navy. The INS Sumitra heroically rescued 19 Pakistani crew members from a fishing vessel targeted by pirates off Somalia’s east coast. The crew of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel and a Liberian-flagged vessel, MV Lila Norfolk, were rescued from pirate threats off Somalia’s coast and in the North Arabian Sea, respectively.
The resurgence of pirate activities, coupled with the rising concerns over assaults by Houthi militants in the Red Sea, has spotlighted the regional maritime security challenges.
#IndianNavy thwarts designs of Somali pirates to hijack ships plying through the region by intercepting ex-MV Ruen.
The ex-MV Ruen, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates on #14Dec 23, was reported to have sailed out as a pirate ship towards conducting acts of #piracy on high… pic.twitter.com/gOtQJvNpZb
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 16, 2024
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