New Delhi: An Indian Navy warship was fired upon by pirates aboard the Merchant Vessel Ruen in international waters Friday. The vessel, hijacked by Somali pirates since 14 December last year, was intercepted by the Navy while it was being used for piracy.
In response, following international law, the Navy has taken actions in self-defence to counter piracy with minimal force necessary to neutralise the pirates’ threat to shipping as well as seafarers, the Navy said in a statement Saturday.
The pirates, who are on board the vessel, have been called upon to surrender and release the vessel as well as civilians they may have held hostage.
As reported by ThePrint in December, M.V. Ruen, a Malta-flagged vessel with 18 crew members on board, had sent a distress signal on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) portal, saying that six intruders had taken over the ship.
After receiving the distress call, the Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft was deployed to locate and assist M.V. Ruen.
The aircraft was flying over the hijacked ship and continuously monitoring its movement. The ship, at the time, was seen moving towards Somalia.
The Navy’s warship, which was on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, intercepted the hijacked ship. The Navy, at the time, was monitoring the situation closely, in coordination with other agencies and the Multi-national Force (MNF) in the area.
The Navy had rendered assistance in the evacuation of an injured crew member from the hijacked merchant vessel Ruen.
Following the incident, the Navy substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in the Central and North Arabian Sea. It augmented force levels by subsequently deploying 10-12 warships in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Indian Ocean Region has lately seen an increase in merchant vessels either coming under fire by missiles and drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen on merchant vessels travelling through the Red Sea or an increase in piracy incidents by Somalian pirates.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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