The incident occurred 600 nautical miles east of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. The pirates also took 23 crew members of the Bulk Carrier MV Abdullah hostage, the navy mentioned in a statement.
The Bulk Carrier MV Abdullah, sailing under the flag of Bangladesh, was headed to UAE from Mozambique with 55,000 tonnes of coal when a group of 15-20 Somalian pirates attacked it on the evening of March 12, 2024.
The mission began after news of the vessel falling prey to a piracy attack circulated. The Indian Navy sent its aircraft, the LRMP P-81, to locate the ship, survey the region and contact the crew, but in vain, as they could not get a response from the vessel.
Then, the Indian Navy deployed a warship which intercepted the hijacked vessel on the morning of March 14, 2024.
The Indian Navy stated that the Bulk Carrier’s crew members were safe, and the Indian Navy warship remained close to the vessel until it reached Somalia’s territorial waters according to the reports published in marineinsight.com.
The incidences of ship hijackings off the coast of Somalia have been on the rise since December, sparking concerns about the resurgence of piracy attacks in the Indian Ocean.
This coincides with an increase in missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis, who claim to stand and act in solidarity with Gaza.
