The Voice of America studies that the Indian navy freed the hijacked MV Ruen cargo ship in Somalia’s Puntland area Saturday after a 24-hour standoff and shootout, and it has detained 35 pirates, based on Puntland Ports Minister Ahmed Yasin Salah. The crew is reported to be unhurt.
The pirates — who allegedly hijacked the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo vessel on December 14 — exchanged heavy gunfire with the Indian navy Friday.
“The Indian navy efficiently performed the operation, which has been happening since final evening. The navy captured 35 pirates and launched the MV Ruen ship, and its crew are protected,” Salah mentioned.
“We acquired the data concerning the gunfight Friday afternoon. As soon as we adopted up with our dependable sources, we had been advised that the Indian navy engaged in a gunfight with the Somali pirates.”
In an interview with VOA Somali, Salah mentioned the pirates on the Ruen had been crusing forwards and backwards throughout the Somali coast for months, and that the Indians intercepted them Friday, as they approached one other pirate-held ship the MV Abdullah.
It was not instantly clear if the Somali pirates had been utilizing the hijacked ship MV Ruen to take over the Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship, MV Abdullah.
The MV Abdullah was crusing from Mozambique’s capital Maputo to the United Arab Emirates with a cargo of 55,000 tons of coal when Somali pirates attacked and seized it on the night of March 12, taking 23 of its crew members hostage.
Quoting an Indian navy spokesperson, Reuters reported Saturday that the Somali pirates opened fireplace on the Indian navy ship in worldwide waters Friday.
Reuters additionally studies that Somali police and worldwide navies are making ready to mount a rescue of the MV Abdullah that was hijacked by pirates final week, the Puntland area’s police pressure mentioned, two days after Indian commandos rescued MV Ruen held by pirates.
#IndianNavy thwarts designs of Somali pirates to hijack ships plying by the area by intercepting ex-MV Ruen.
The ex-MV Ruen, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates on #14Dec 23, was reported to have sailed out as a pirate ship in the direction of conducting acts of #piracy on excessive… pic.twitter.com/gOtQJvNpZb
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 16, 2024
