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Freed from Somali pirates: the “Mv Ruen”
Photo: AP
The Indian Navy says it has taken control of a cargo ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates.
All 17 crew members of the “MV Ruen” had been rescued, the naval forces announced on Platform X.
In addition, all 35 pirates on board the freighter flying the Maltese flag surrendered.
The “MV Ruen” was hijacked in December.
The command of the EU maritime security operation (Eunavfor) believes that it was most recently used to board a Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia.
Somali pirates have long caused significant disruption along key global waterways.
The last time they were able to take control of a ship was in 2017.
A crackdown by international naval forces in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean has prevented further hijackings.
India is currently deploying at least a dozen warships east of the Red Sea to ensure maritime security.
Western countries are focused on fending off attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias.
The German frigate “Hessen” is also taking part in the corresponding EU mission “Aspides”.
The Indian Navy has said there have been at least 17 cases of kidnapping, attempted kidnapping and suspicious approaches since early December.
jpa/Reuters