Politics

Indian navy intercepts hijacked cargo ship allegedly used in Somali pirate attacks

New Delhi, Mar 16 (EFE).- The Indian navy intercepted a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates in December and suspected of having been used to attack a Bangladesh-flagged ship this week with 23 crew members on board.

“The vessel was intercepted by the IndianNavy warship on 15Mar,” an Indian navy spokesperson said in a statement.

“The vessel opened fire on the warship, which is taking actions iaw international law, in self-defense & to counter piracy,” the spokesperson added.

“The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender & release the vessel & any civilians they may be holding against their will,” the navy said.

The Bulgaria-owned and Maltese-flagged bulk cargo ship Ruen, was captured on Dec. 14 with 18 people on board during a pirate attack in the Indian Ocean.

On Dec. 16, an Indian Navy warship located the ship and since then, forces from Operation Atalanta, an EU Maritime Security operation, had been monitoring it.

On Thursday, the operation said that the hijacked vessel may have been used by pirates to attack the Bangladeshi cargo ship Abdullah, with 23 crew members on board, on Tuesday.

The actions of the Indian Navy come at a time of growing maritime insecurity, especially in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden due to attacks by Houthi rebels against commercial vessels linked to Israel.

Somali pirates have also carried out attacks on ships in the Arabian Sea in recent months.

The tension in the area has prompted the world’s main shipping companies to reroute their vessels to avoid this sea route, through which 8 percent of the global grain trade, 12 percent of sea-borne traded oil and 8 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade passes. EFE

daa/pd

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