As a first responder, The Indian navy swiftly responded to a distress signal from the Somalia based ‘Maltese vessel’, about the ‘hijacking situation’ in the Arabian Sea on December 14, an Indian warship swiftly redirected its anti-piracy patrol toward the cargo carrier MV Ruen en route to Somalia, which currently holds 18 crew members.
The Indian Navy, in an official statement, revealed that the Mayday message received through UKMTO signaled the presence of six unknown individuals who had boarded the vessel. Additionally, it was disclosed that MV Ruen was progressing towards the coast of Somalia.
The Navy promptly deployed Naval Maritime Patrol aircraft for surveillance in the area along with a warship on Anti Piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden to locate and assist MV Ruen in distress.
A spokesperson for the Indian Navy confirmed, "Responding swiftly to the developing situation, Indian Navy diverted its Naval Maritime Patrol aircraft undertaking surveillance in the area and its warship on Anti Piracy patrol in the Gulf Aden to locate & assist MV Ruen.”
He added “The aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on early morning of 15 Dec 23 and IN aircraft have been continuously monitoring movement of the vessel, which is now heading towards the coast of Somalia.”
Conducting an overflight of the hijacked vessel early on Friday morning, the aircraft has since maintained continuous monitoring of its movements.
The cargo ship Ruen was Hijacked on the Yemeni island of Socotra. It is managed by Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar, its crew includes individuals from Angola, Bulgaria, and Myanmar, as reported by UKMTO and the shipping company.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel, stated that necessary measures have been taken to share information with foreign partners and institutions, relying on their assistance.
The hijacking appears to be the work of Somali pirates, although their activities have diminished in recent years due to the deployment of counter-piracy efforts by several countries in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Thursday's incident with MV Ruen is a resurgence in piracy, the first recorded since 2017, highlighting a significant gap in the ongoing anti-piracy measures in the Arabian Sea.
On Friday, UKMTO issued a warning to ships in the region, stating that, according to the Ruen's security manager, "the crew no longer has control of the vessel."
Along with the Indian Navy, The European Union's anti-piracy force mentioned that the Spanish warship Victoria was en route to aid the "alleged pirate-hijacked vessel."
In Somalia's Puntland region, a member of a group involved in organising ship raids, Mukhtar Mohamud, reported that pirates successfully took over a vessel. He stated that six people seized the ship and intended to bring it to the eastern region of Puntland's coast.
(With agency inputs)
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