India warship engages pirates
2008-11-11 20:43
New Delhi - An Indian warship on Tuesday successfully defended a merchant vessel from being hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden and escorted the ship to safety, the navy said.
The 38 000-ton "Jag Arnav" bulk carrier owned by India's Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd, had crossed the Suez Canal and was 60 nautical miles east of Aden when it was attacked by pirates, the navy said in a statement.
A naval stealth frigate patrolling the area responded to an SOS and sent out an attack helicopter carrying armed commandos to "intervene and prevent" a hijacking, officials said.
"This timely and successful intervention led to the pirates aborting their attempt," the statement added.
A naval source said the marine commandos on board the helicopter opened fire on the pirates but that there were no casualties.
"The display of firepower was enough for the pirates to turn tail, and since our objective was achieved we did not pursue them," the officer said on condition he not be named.
India's navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta also said India would continue to engage pirates.
"Indian naval ships operating in piracy-infected areas are always in a high state of alert and have the capability to intervene by air or ship-borne weapons," he said.
"Their mandate is to ensure that the safety of our sovereign assets is maintained."
It was the first time the Indian navy has repulsed a pirate attack in the region since New Delhi deployed a warship there on October 23.
It came after the hijacking in September of the Hong Kong-registered commercial carrier "Stolt Valor", carrying mainly Indian crew, by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, one of the busiest but most pirate-infested shipping lanes in the world.
According to the International Maritime Board, 74 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January, 30 were hijacked while 10 are still being held for ransom. Pirates are holding almost 200 crew members.
Experts say many attacks go unreported along Somalia's 3 700km coast where heavily-armed pirates operate high-powered speedboats.