India Navy responded swiftly to a ‘Mayday’ call from a Malta-flagged commercial vessel heading towards Somalia. The ship was reportedly hijacked in the Arabian Sea and UK Maritime Operations has said the crew has lost control of the vessel.
Indian Navy in a statement said, “Indian Navy’s Mission Deployed platforms responded swiftly to a maritime incident in the Arabian Sea involving hijacking of Malta Flagged Vessel MV Ruen. The vessel, with 18 crew onboard, had sent a Mayday message on the UKMTO portal, PM 14 Dec 23, indicating boarding by approx six unknown personnel.”
“Responding swiftly to the developing situation, the Indian Navy diverted its Naval Maritime Patrol aircraft undertaking surveillance in the area and its warship on Anti Piracy patrol in the Gulf Aden to locate and assist MV Ruen. The aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on the early morning of 15 Dec 23 and IN aircraft have been continuously monitoring the movement of the vessel, which is now heading towards the coast of Somalia,” it said. “Indian Navy’s warship, mission deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy patrol, has also intercepted MV Ruen at early hours of 16 Dec 23,” Navy added.
The naval force said they are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with other agencies. “The Indian Navy remains committed to being a first responder in the region and ensuring the safety of merchant shipping, along with international partners and friendly foreign countries,” it said.
In a recent tweet, the European Union Naval Force said, “Based on first information available on MV RUEN, #OperationAtalanta Flagship ESPS #VICTORIA is proceeding fast towards the alleged pirate-hijacked vessel to gain more awareness & evaluate following actions, also in coordination with @CMF_Bahrain.”
The UK Maritime Operations has advised vessels to safely transit and report any suspicious activity.
