Navy to bring 35 Somali pirates to India for prosecution | India News

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NEW DELHI: After rescuing the hijacked service provider vessel Ruen and its 17-member crew within the main operation on the excessive seas on Saturday, which noticed marine commandos additionally being para-dropped from a C-17 plane and trade of gunfire, the Navy is now bringing the 35 Somali pirates in its custody to India.
The pirates, who had commandeered MV Ruen to be used as a “mom pirate ship” to launch assaults on different industrial ships within the area, and even shot down a small spotter drone flown from destroyer INS Kolkata throughout the operation, will likely be prosecuted underneath Indian legal guidelines right here.
“There may be now additionally the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, which was notified final yr, to prosecute such instances. The standard follow is to set apprehended pirates adrift on their skiffs after disarming them to make sure they don’t pose a risk to different vessels. However these 35 pirates opened fireplace on our warship. If they’re let go, they’ll re-group and start their piracy assaults once more,” an officer mentioned.
Talks are additionally underway with the homeowners of the Malta-flagged MV Ruen, which is carrying round 37,800 tonnes of cargo estimated to be price round $1 million, on whether or not the majority provider also needs to be delivered to India or handed over to them someplace.
Guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata intercepted MV Ruen, which was hijacked on December 14, round 260 nautical miles east of Somalia on Friday. The destroyer was backed by patrol vessel INS Subhadra, P-8I long-range maritime patrol plane, high-altitude long-endurance drones and extra marine commandos air-dropped by the C-17 Globemaster-III plane of IAF within the over 40-hour operation round 2,600-km from the Indian coast, as was reported by TOI.
“In a reckless hostile act, the pirates shot down the ship-launched drone and fired at INS Kolkata. In a calibrated response as per worldwide legal guidelines, INS Kolkata disabled the vessel’s steering system and navigational aids, forcing her to cease,” Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal mentioned.
The C-17 plane, flying for nearly 10 hours from the Indian mainland, additionally executed “a precision airborne drop” of the marine commandos and two fight rubberised raiding craft boats to enhance the operation.
“INS Kolkata undertook exactly measured actions, whereas sustaining her place near the vessel. She additionally engaged in forceful negotiations that led to the pirates’ give up because of the sustained stress,” he mentioned.
The 17 crew members from Bulgaria, Angola and Myanmar have been additionally safely evacuated with none accidents. “The profitable fruits of the anti-piracy operation within the southern Indian Ocean Area highlights the dedication of the Indian Navy in direction of reinforcing peace and stability in addition to thwarting the resurgence of piracy within the area,” Commander Madhwal mentioned.



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