The Indian Navy’s deployment of warship INS Kolkata, long-endurance Sea Guardian drones, P-8I surveillance aircraft, and airdropped elite MARCOS commandos from a C-17 plane to rescue the Bulgarian-owned ship was commended by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin during his conversation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday.
In a nearly 40-hour operation last week, the Indian Navy took control of the MV Ruen, a former bulk carrier flying the flag of Malta, freed 17 captives, 2,600 kilometres off the Indian coast and apprehended 35 armed pirates who were handed over to Mumbai police.
The appreciation was for the Indian Navy’s efforts in conducting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region. Concerns have been raised by experts regarding the security situation in the Red Sea, with attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels on commercial shipping potentially tying up international forces and creating an opportunity for Somali pirates in the nearby Horn of Africa. This poses a significant threat to the global economy, estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
India’s military has developed special forces capabilities on par with some of the greatest in the world, as demonstrated by the Indian Navy’s dramatic rescue of a commercial ship from pirates off the coast of Somalia.
December, last year saw the Bulgarian ship MV Ruen taken over by Somali pirates. Nonetheless, the Indian Navy moved to intercept the Ruen last week when it departed Somali waters with the intention of engaging in high seas piracy. Ruen was later intercepted by INS Kolkata on March 15, after which the ship’s navigational aids and steering were turned off, forcing the pirate ship to stop.
