Indian Navy Warship Responds To Hijacked Malta Vessel In Arabian Sea

After it was allegedly hijacked in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy stepped in to save a commercial Malta ship. As soon as the Indian Navy received a Mayday alert, it swiftly ordered one of its warships to aid the MV Ruen while it was on an anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden. “On December 14, PM, on the UKMTO portal, the ship, carrying eighteen crew members, sent out a Mayday message indicating that approximately six unidentified individuals had boarded.” As the situation quickly became more serious, the Indian Navy promptly redirected its warship on an anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden and its Naval Maritime Patrol aircraft conducting surveillance in the vicinity to identify and help the MV Ruen. The Navy released a statement on the operation.

The hijacked ship was caught by a Navy destroyer, which is currently keeping a tight eye on its movements as it approaches the Somali shore. In order to evaluate the situation, a patrol aircraft also flew over the ship yesterday morning. When the MV Reun was assaulted on Thursday, it was sailing in the direction of Somalia. According to the UK’s Marine Trade Operations, the crew has lost command of the ship. The ship’s seizure seems to be the first significant action by Somali pirates since 2019, when counter-piracy initiatives by a number of nations prevented similar seizures in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.