The Indian Navy successfully thwarted a piracy attempt on board the merchant vessel MV Golden Arsenal in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday night, with its elite Marine Commandos (MARCOS) securing the ship after the suspected pirates fled, according to sources.
Sources said the Indian Navy warship INS Trikand responded swiftly after receiving information about the attempted hijacking of the vessel, which was carrying critical cargo bound for India.
The MV Golden Arsenal had one Indian crew member among those on board. During the piracy attempt, the crew followed standard anti-piracy procedures by locking themselves inside a designated safe room, also known as a citadel, while alerting authorities through a communication channel.
As INS Trikand closed in on the vessel, the suspected pirates abandoned their attempt and fled the scene, the sources said.
Following the vessel's rescue, Indian Navy MARCOS personnel boarded the MV Golden Arsenal and carried out a comprehensive sanitisation operation to ensure that no pirates remained on board and that the ship was safe for the crew to resume normal operations.
Further details about the incident are awaited.
