Indian Navy: On Saturday, the Indian Navy cruiser INS Kolkata effectively forced all 35 Somali pirates who had taken over a vessel in the Arabian Sea to surrender and made sure that all 17 crew members were evacuated safely.
Indian Navy’s Response to MV Ruen Hijacking
An Indian Navy spokesperson claimed that earlier in the day, the Indian Navy intercepted the stolen cargo ship MV Ruen and ordered the Somali pirates on board to surrender. According to naval officials, the Marine Commando Force, also known as MARCOS, the Indian naval’s special forces, had boarded the ship.
INS Kolkata’s Strategic Maneuver
“INS Kolkata had carried out the interception of the Pirate Ship Ruen almost 1,400 nm (2,600km) from the Indian Coast and forced the pirate ship to stop through calibrated actions which were augmented by INS Subhadra, HALE RPA, P8I maritime patrol aircraft and MARCOS PRAHARs air-dropped by C-17 aircraft,” an Indian Navy statement read.
Removal of Illicit Items After Pirate Takeover
Authorities claimed that after being taken over for several days, the ship was cleared of any illicit weapons, ammo, and contraband. On Friday, the Indian Navy was targeted by Somalian pirates who had earlier taken over a bulk cargo vessel flying the Maltese flag. The attacks occurred in international waters.
The pirates were requested by the navy to surrender, free the ship, and release any people they might have been detaining. For medical reasons, the pirates had already freed one member of the hostage crew.
