The Indian Navy announced on Sunday that its rescue mission in the Arabian Sea spanned about 40 hours, resulting in the surrender of 35 pirates and the successful rescue of 17 crew members from the merchant vessel formerly known as MV Ruen.
Visuals of the Somali pirate surrendering to the Marine Commandos also known as MARCOS surfaced on social media after the daring operation by Indian Navy.
Watch the video here:
The Navy reported deploying INS Kolkata in the Arabian Sea to prevent Somali pirates' attempts to hijack ships passing through the area. "Merchant vessel MV Ruen was intercepted on March 15 by INS Kolkata which had been hijacked in December 2023 and was under the control of the Somalian pirates," the Navy said.
It said that INS Kolkata confirmed the presence of armed pirates on MV Ruen through a ship-launched drone. "In a reckless hostile act, the pirates shot down the drone and fired at the Indian Naval warship. INS Kolkata disabled the ship's steering system and navigational aids, forcing the pirate ship to stop," the Navy said.
According to the official, the Indian Navy's endeavors in the ongoing anti-piracy mission, located 1400 nautical miles (2600 kilometers) away from mainland India, were strengthened by the presence of INS Subhadra in the region, as well as by the deployment of Marine Commandos (PRAHARS) via air-drop from C-17 aircraft.
"The pirate vessel was kept under surveillance by HALE RPA and P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Due to sustained pressure and calibrated actions by the Indian Navy over 40 hours, all 35 Somali pirates surrendered on March 16 while all 17 original crew members of MV Ruen were safely evacuated from the pirate vessel without any injury," he said. He mentioned that the ship has undergone sanitation to detect any illegal weapons, ammunition, or prohibited items.
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