35 Pirates Surrender After Indian Navy Foils Hijack Bid Off East Coast Of Somalia

The pirates had sailed out on a cargo ship that was hijacked three months back.

An Indian Navy helicopter during an anti-hijacking operation. The Navy successfully cornered and coerced all 35 pirates to surrender & ensured safe evacuation of 17 crew members onboard MV Ruen.

Source : PTI

The Indian Navy on Saturday "coerced" 35 Pirates on board a merchant ship around 1,400 nautical miles from the Indian coast to surrender, said the officials, adding that 17 crew members were safely evacuated without any injury, reported news agency PTI. 

In a calibrated operation, the Navy deployed its P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, frontline ships INS Kolkata and INS Subhadra, and high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle. 

"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 today from the pirate vessel without any injury," Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

C-17 aircraft air dropped the elite MARCOS commandos for the operation, the report added. 

On Saturday, officials said that the Navy had foiled an attempt by a group of Somali pirates to hijack ships in the high seas off the east coast of Somalia as it intercepted their vessel.

The officials said that the armed pirates sailed out on a cargo ship named Ruen that was hijacked around three months ago. 

The Somali pirates had hijacked the vessel MV Ruen on December 14 last year and were reported to have sailed out as a pirate ship towards conducting acts of piracy on the high seas, the Navy said.

The pirates opened fire on the Indian warship, said the Navy in an earlier statement adding that it took appropriate actions in self-defence under international law and to counter piracy, using minimal force to neutralise the pirates' threat to shipping and seafarers.

"The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender and release the vessel and any civilians they may be holding against their will," it said.