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The Indian Navy has responded swiftly to the hijacking of Malta-flagged vessel MV Ruen in the Arabian Sea, diverting its naval maritime patrol aircraft and a warship to assist the distressed platform being taken towards the coast of Somalia.
Navy sources said no Indians are present on the MV Ruen, which has 18 crew on board. The Indian Navy’s warship on an anti-piracy patrol in Gulf Aden received a Mayday message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) portal on December 14, indicating that about six unknown pirates had illegally boarded the Malta-flagged vessel, managed by Bulgaria’s Navigation Maritime Bulgare.
Responding to the situation, the Indian Navy pressed its aircraft, which overflew the hijacked vessel early on Thursday morning and has been continuously monitoring the movement of the vessel, now heading towards the coast of Somalia, a spokesperson of the Navy said. On early Saturday morning, it intercepted the MV Ruen and is waiting for the developing situation to take further action, Navy sources stated.
A Reuters report said that in Somalia’s breakaway Puntland region, a member of a group that helped organise raids on ships in the past told the international news agency that he had heard pirates had managed to seize a vessel. “Six of my pirate friends managed to capture a ship and they will bring it to the coast of the eastern region of Puntland,” Mukhtar Mohamud said by phone to Reuters from the coastal city of Qandala.
Meanwhile, the Navies of Spain and Japan have also joined the effort for a response to a maritime emergency, Indian Navy sources said. “The overall situation is being closely monitored, in coordination with other agencies/ MNF in the area,” read the Indian Navy’s official statement. Over the next four to five hours, the situation will become more clear, Navy sources said as the hijackers continue to be on board the vessel.
“The Indian Navy remains committed to being a first responder in the region, and ensuring the safety of merchant shipping, along with international partners and friendly foreign countries,” it said.
The Gulf of Aden is a notorious maritime region that in the past has been a hunting ground for Somali pirates and this is the second attempt since 2017 when they hijacked an oil tanker with Sri Lankan crew on board and took to Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
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