Days after its navy reclaimed a hijacked bulk carrier and freed multiple hostages, India has brought 35 captured Somali pirates to Mumbai to face trial.
According to a navy statement, the destroyer INS Kolkata, which oversaw the rescue effort, docked early on Saturday in India’s financial center.
The December hijacking of the MV Ruen, flying the Maltese flag, took place in the northern Arabian Sea east of Socotra. This was the first successful hijacking of a cargo vessel by Somali pirates since 2017.
On March 17, 260 nautical miles (480 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia, Indian naval commandos seized control of the ship and rescued 17 crew members, nine of whom were from Myanmar, seven from Bulgaria, and one from Angola.
Later on Saturday, it is anticipated that the Somalis will be placed under police custody.
When Somali pirate attacks peaked in 2011, the navy used to prosecute and imprison those responsible in India. However, in recent months, the navy has started seizing back ships, saving the crew, and abandoning the disarmed pirates at sea.
This week, Navy spokesman Vivek Madhwal announced that pirates apprehended at sea would be tried on Indian soil for the first time in over ten years.
The men might be sentenced to death under India’s anti-piracy laws if they are found guilty of killing someone or trying to kill someone, and they could also be imprisoned for life for just engaging in piracy.
The 40-hour operation culminated in last Saturday’s rescue. An earlier navy statement stated that commandos “successfully cornered and coerced” all 35 pirates on board to surrender after parachuting out of a military C-17 aircraft to board the vessel. Owner of a Bulgarian vessel Navibulgar referred to India’s rescue as a “major success.”
In the past, Somali pirates have tried to seize a “mother ship” that can travel farther in order to attack bigger ships.
According to the European Union Naval Force, on March 12, pirates successfully took over the bulk carrier MV Abdullah off the coast of Somalia by using the MV Ruen.
Since then, the 23-person crew of the Bangladesh-flagged MV Abdullah has been forced into Somali waters and is still being held captive.
Since 2008, India’s navy has been stationed off the coast of Somalia; however, last year, in response to a spike in maritime attacks, particularly those by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, the navy increased its anti-piracy efforts.
Since December, India has stationed at least twelve warships in the northern Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, allowing it to support ships east of the Red Sea.
Following an attempted hijacking in the Arabian Sea in January, the navy saved every member of the crew from a merchant vessel flying the flag of Liberia.
The Indian Navy has documented at least 17 instances of attempted hijacking, hijacking, and suspicious approaches since December 1.
The cost of Somali pirate attacks to the world economy was estimated to be $7 billion in 2011, at their height. Ransom payments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars were also incurred.
