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Indian Navy Foils Attack By 8-Member Somali Pirates

(RTTNews) - An attempt by an eight pirates to hijack merchant vessels for ransom in the Gulf of Aden was foiled Sunday by an Indian warship which intercepted their boat and took them into custody.

The Indian Navy said the guided missile destroyer, INS Delhi, was escorting 12 merchant vessels, including 'Jag Ratan', through the "International Recommended Transit Corridor" when the pirate boat was spotted about 12-15 p.m., approaching the flotilla at high speed around 180 km north of the Somali coast.

The rogue boat "Bareeda," was intercepted after it failed to respond to the calls made by the INS Delhi over the Mercantile Marine Radio, said an officer. A helicopter was launched to provide aerial cover to the merchant vessels as a team of marine commandos intercepted and boarded the vessel, he said.

The seven Somalis and one Yemeni were disarmed and detained. A cache of arms, fuel drums and ship-boarding equipment were seized from the boat, he added.

Ever since the Indian Navy deployed warships in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy patrols in October 2008, over 1,200 ships were safely escorted through the strategic trade route, thwarting 16 attempts by pirates.

India has also been sending offshore patrol vessels to the waters near the Seychelles and Mauritius to bolster anti-piracy patrols there after pirates were reported getting bolder and operating much beyond the Gulf of Aden.