Navy saves Jag Arnav from Somalian pirates

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NEW DELHI: The Navy on Tuesday foiled attempts by Somalian pirates to hijack an Indian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden, infested by heavily-armed pirates.

The warship patrolling the area detected the cargo vessel’s SOS and set off a swift operation to rescue the merchant vessel and escort it to safety.

Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Co’s Jag Arnav, a 38,000 ton bulk carrier, had crossed the Suez Canal when it was attacked by pirates who surrounded the vessel in small boats. The Indian warship, INS Tabar, sent “an armed helicopter with marine commandos... to intervene and prevent” the hijacking, a statement by the Indian Navy said.

In its first counter-piracy mission, India had decided to deploy a ship in the region to rescue vessels in distress in troubled waters which provide a vital trade route. The move was prompted by the hijack of a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden and a spate of attacks by pirates from Somalia, which is caught up in Islamic insurgency, and other African countries. A Japanese-owned merchant vessel carrying a 22-member crew, including 18 Indians, was hijacked by Somali pirates last month in the Gulf of Aden. This followed protests by the sailors’ families. The defence ministry had said the warship was being sent to instil confidence among sailors. More than 90% of India’s foreign trade by volume and 77% by value is shipped through the region, mainly through the Suez Canal. Tuesday’s attack took place at 10.30 am, when the ship was 60 nautical miles east of Aden, according to reports at the Mumbai-headquarters Western Naval Command (WNC). However, the statement did not specify how many crew members were aboard the vessel or their nationality. According to the International Maritime Bureau, 199 incidents of piracy or attempted piracy have been reported world-wide from January to September this year of which 63 were in the busy Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast. As many as twelve vessels remain the in hands of pirates along with over 200 crew. While NATO had sent three ships to the Gulf of Eden, the European Union has dispatched at least four warships backed by aircraft which will begin patrolling in December.