MARCOS Commando Teams Rescue MV Ruen: The Indian Navy concluded a remarkable anti-piracy operation on Saturday as it seized control of a Maltese-flagged cargo ship, MV Ruen, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Somalia in December last year. The operation, which lasted nearly 40 hours, culminated with the successful rescue of 35 crew members and the surrender by a group of 35 pirates.
As part of the operation, the Indian Navy deployed its stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Kolkata, patrol vessel INS Subhadra, and long-endurance Sea Guardian drones, the Navy said. The Navy's elite Marine Commandos (MARCOS) were also instrumental in the success of the operation. The operation, which took place in the Arabian Sea region saw MARCOS personnel being airdropped, along with their equipment, from a C-17 military transport aircraft belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF), officials said.
#WATCH | Airdropping of Marine Commandos and their equipment from a C-17 transport aircraft in the Arabian Sea for action against pirates on a vessel MV Ruen over 2600 km from Indian shores. pic.twitter.com/WoqFWOjJev
— ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2024
After being para-dropped, MARCOS teams boarded the distressed merchant vessel before securing the surrender of the pirates onboard the ship. Later, the vessel was sanitised for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition, and contraband, the Navy informed. According to the Navy, the operation's success ensured that MV Ruen could not be used by the pirates as a mother ship to hijack other cargo vessels passing through the region.
"INS Kolkata, a mission deployed in the Arabian Sea, through the sustained high tempo of operations, has thwarted the designs of the Somali pirates to hijack ships transiting through the region by intercepting the pirate ship MV Ruen, on March 16. The merchant vessel had been hijacked in December 2023 and was under the control of the Somalian Pirates till now," a statement issued by the Navy read.
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In a remarkable display of #Jointness & #Integration, an IAF C-17 aircraft executed a precision Airborne Drop of two Combat Rubberised Raiding Craft (CRRC) boats, along with Indian Navy MARCOS in Arabian Sea in support of ongoing anti piracy Op Sankalp.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 17, 2024
Flying for almost 10 hrs… pic.twitter.com/DEMgvZQI1N
"In a reckless hostile act, the pirates shot down the drone and fired at the Indian Naval warship," the Navy said. The maritime force also said that INS Kolkata managed to disable MV Ruen's steering system and navigational aids, forcing it to come to a stop. The operation, according to experts, was the first successful takeover of a cargo ship from Somali pirates in at least the last seven years. MV Ruen was intercepted by the Indian Navy on Wednesday morning. The operation concluded without any injuries anyone, the Navy informed.
(With inputs from agencies)