NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy became the first responder to a maritime crisis as it quickly reacted to an SOS message from a hijacked ship in the Arabian Sea and intercepted the vessel. The navy deployed its naval maritime patrol aircraft to track the movement of the hijacked vessel that was moving towards the coast of Somalia, according to a statement.
After the aircraft located the vessel, the Indian Navy diverted its warship from Gulf of Aden. The hijacked vessel was intercepted Saturday morning, the Navy added. The Malta-flagged cargo vessel called MV Ruen with 18 crew on board gave a distressed signal on December 14, indicating that six pirates had secured boarded the vessel.
The overall situation is being closely monitored in coordination with other agencies in the area, the Navy said. The navies of Spain and Japan, too, have responded to the situation. Until 2017, ships travelling near Africa were attacked by Somalian pirates. Counter-piracy efforts were then put in place by various countries to deal with the menace. The Indian Navy said it is committed to ensuring safety of merchant shipping along with international partners and friendly foreign countries.