Analysts claim that the Indian Navy’s successful rescue of a commercial ship from pirates this weekend off the coast of Somalia demonstrates how Delhi’s military has produced special forces capabilities comparable to some of the best in the world.According to an Indian Navy news release, the navy saved 17 crew members of the MV Ruen following a nearly two-day anti-piracy operation. No casualties were reported. It stated that many dozen pirates had been apprehended.
According to the announcement, a P-8 surveillance jet, a naval drone, a reconnaissance drone, a patrol ship, an Indian Air Force C-17 transporter that travelled over 1,500 miles to airdrop marine commandos, and a navy destroyer were all involved in the operation. “The success of the operation marks the Indian Navy as a top-class force in terms of training, command and control and other capabilities,” said John Bradford, Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs fellow.
“What marks this operation as impressive is how risk was minimized by using a coordinated force that includes use of a warship, drones, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and marine commandos.”Experts fear the volatile security situation in the Red Sea due to attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels on commercial shipping may tie up international forces and provide a window for Somali pirates in the nearby Horn of Africa – presenting a multi-billion-dollar threat to the global economy.
Yemen and Somalia are among the region’s poorest nations, both ravaged by years of civil war.Somali pirates’ capture of the MV Ruen in December last year marked the first successful hijacking of a vessel off the country’s coast since 2017.Spanish, Japanese and Indian warships tracked the Malta-flagged, Bulgarian-managed bulk carrier as it was taken into Somali territorial waters, according to a December report from the European Union Naval Force.
But when the Ruen, now operated by a pirate crew, last week left Somali waters with the intent of committing acts of piracy on the high seas, the Indian Navy made moves to intercept it, according to a navy statement posted on social platform X. The destroyer INS Kolkata, operating in the area to help ensure international maritime security, used a ship-launched drone to confirm the Ruen was being operated by armed pirates, the Indian statement said.After the pirates fired on the drone, destroying it, and then on the Indian warship itself, the Kolkata responded by firing on the Ruen, disabling its steering and navigation, the statement said.
As the Kolkata sought the surrender of the pirates, the commandos parachuted in after a 10-hour flight from India, the air force said on X. Rafts were also dropped into the ocean from the large transport for marines to reach the Ruen. The Indian show of force proved too much for the pirates.
“Due to sustained pressure and calibrated actions by the Indian Navy over the last 40 hours, all 35 Somali pirates surrendered,” the navy statement said.Bulgarian leaders, including President Rumen Radev, thanked India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the operation. “My sincere gratitude to (Modi) for the brave action of (the) Navy rescuing the hijacked Bulgarian ship ‘Ruen’ and its crew, including 7 Bulgarian citizens,” Radev posted on X.
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