NEW DELHI: An Indian warship and maritime patrol aircraft are closely tracking a hijacked Malta-flagged vessel, which is now headed towards the coast of
Somalia
with the armed pirates and 28 crew members on board, after swiftly responding to its distress call in the Arabian Sea.
"The Indian warship, which was on an anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, is following the hijacked vessel named MV Ruen.
The overall situation is being closely monitored in coordination with other agencies and the MNF (multi-national force) in the area. The safety of the crew on board the merchant vessel is paramount," a naval spokesperson said.
'Monitoring movement of hijacked vessel'
The Indian
Navy
swung into action after MV Ruen sent a Mayday call on the UKMTO portal on Thursday afternoon, with the alert that it had been boarded by "around six unknown persons".
Responding to the developing situation, the Navy diverted the warship and a maritime patrol aircraft, which was undertaking surveillance in the area, to locate and assist MV Ruen. "The aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on Friday morning. The warship, in turn, also intercepted MV Ruen in the early hours of Saturday. Both are continuously monitoring the movement of the hijacked vessel," the officer said. A Spanish warship has now also joined the Indian one in the area.
With warships and aircraft being regularly deployed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond, the Navy said it "remains committed to being a first responder in the region and ensuring safety of merchant shipping, along with international partners and friendly foreign countries". Under the high tempo of operations for missions and tasks encompassing military, diplomatic, constabulary and benign roles, the Navy has chalked up around 10,000 warship days, 15,000 aircraft hours and 1,140 submarine days in the IOR and beyond over the last one year.
English (US) ·