Indian Navy recaptures MV Ruen from Somali pirates
Indian Navy intercepts Somali pirates.
On Saturday March 16, its forces stormed the
MV Ruen
, a ship which had been boarded by armed men on December 14, 680 nautical miles from the Somali coast.
The crew was able to be recovered safely in this operation which officially did not cause any injuries.
The
MV Ruen
was the first successful hijacking of Somali pirates since 2017, but the Indian military deployed in the area went to great lengths to recapture the ship.
Somali pirates neutralized and arrested by the Indian navy aboard the MV Ruen, March 16, 2024, 2,600 kilometers from the Indian coast.
via REUTERS - SPOKESPERSONNAVY VIA
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It was a major capture by Somali pirates.
The Indian Navy has been monitoring the MV Ruen for three months, after taking in an injured sailor released shortly after his capture.
The ship then moved to the Somali coast, explains our correspondent in Bangalore,
Côme Bastin
.
The
MV Ruen
was en route to South Korea with a cargo of metal when it was seized by Somali pirates in mid-December.
The boat, which belongs to a Bulgarian company and flew the Maltese flag, was then transformed into a mother ship by the pirates, in order to serve as a base for launching new attacks far from the coast.
But the Indian Navy spotted the
MV Ruen
en route to the open sea.
It must be said that New Delhi had deployed major resources since the end of 2023, with at least three warships and a reconnaissance plane in the Gulf of Aden, as well as at least ten additional boats in the North. and the western Arabian Sea.
#INSKolkata, in the last 40 hours, through concerted actions successfully cornered and coerced all 35 Pirates to surrender & ensured safe evacuation of 17 crew members in the evening today #16Mar 24 from the pirate vessel without any injury.#INSKolkata had carried out the … https://t.co/eKxfEdMRES pic.twitter.com/tmQq2fG8yE
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 16, 2024
The rescue operation began on Friday, some 2,600 km from the coast of India, according to the Indian Navy.
Assisted by helicopters, the Indian warship Kolkata came under fire.
Then two Indian destroyers were able to corner the
MV Ruen
, forcing the pirates to stop the boat.
Footage showed one of them firing at Indian naval forces.
The latter claimed to have reacted “
within the framework of international law and self-defense
” through “
calculated actions
” and the use of “
minimal force
” to neutralize the pirates.
A drone, a Boeing P81 Poseidon, and marine commandos, dropped by a C-17 aircraft, were used.
All 35 pirates on board reportedly surrendered and all 17 crew members were released.
Among the crew, seven were Bulgarians, nine Burmese and one Angolan.
It is a “
major success for us, and the global maritime community
”, welcomed the owner of the Bulgarian ship Navibulgar for whom “
the resolution of this case proves that the safety of commercial navigation will not be compromised
”.
Earlier this week, the Indian Navy recaptured another boat, the
MV Abdullah
, from Somali pirates, freeing 22 crew members.
These operations are taking place while navigation in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea is under threat.
Yemeni Houthi rebels have been carrying out attacks in this area since November, citing reprisals against Israel.
Also read: The number of acts of piracy in the world stable in 2023
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