New Delhi: The Indian Navy's warship and aircraft responded swiftly to a maritime incident in the Arabian Sea, involving the hijacking of a Malta-flagged commercial vessel. The ship, MV Ruen, had 18 crew members on board and is heading towards the Somalia coast, said the Navy on Saturday.
The hijacking attempt was reported on Thursday and the Indian Navy sent its mission-deployed platforms to the area of the incident early on Friday, said the officials. An aircraft by the navy flew over MV Ruen on early morning of December 15 and it has been continuously monitoring the movement of the vessel.
The Navy's maritime patrol aircraft undertaking surveillance in the area and its warship on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden were deployed to locate and assist the vessel after receiving a distress call from it, said an Indian Navy spokesperson.
The official said that the Indian Navy's warship deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy patrol also intercepted the MV Ruen on Saturday morning.
The overall situation is also being closely monitored, in coordination with other agencies in the area. According to him, the Indian Navy remained committed to being a first and swift responder in the region and “ensuring the safety of merchant shipping, along with international partners and friendly foreign countries.”
