India brought 35 accused Somali pirates to Mumbai on Saturday, days after naval commandos recaptured a hijacked bulk carrier and rescued several hostages, arresting them.
Maltese flag hijacking in December MV Luen This is the first time since 2017 that Somali pirates have successfully boarded a cargo ship.
Indian commandos boarded and took control of the ship on March 17, about 260 nautical miles (480 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia.
saboteur CalcuttaA navy statement said the “lifeboat” leading the rescue operation arrived in Mumbai early on Saturday, carrying all 35 men accused of the hijacking.
It added that the operation “upheld the principles of international law and the commitment to ensure maritime security and maritime security in the region”.
The men are expected to be transferred to police custody on Saturday.
Navy spokesman Vivek Madhwal said this week marked the first time in more than a decade that people captured at sea were brought to Indian shores to face piracy trials.
Under India’s anti-piracy laws, the men face the death penalty if convicted of murder or attempted murder, and life imprisonment for piracy alone.
Saturday’s rescue was the culmination of a 40-hour operation.
An earlier Navy statement said commandos parachuted onto the ship from a military C-17 aircraft and “successfully forced” all 35 pirates on board to surrender.
In the process, they released MV LuenNo one among the 17 crew members – nine Burmese, seven Bulgarians and one Angolan – was injured during the rescue.
Bulgarian ship owner Navi Bulgar called India’s rescue a “major success.”
“Mother Ship”
Somali pirates have tried in the past to capture a “mother ship” capable of traveling greater distances so they could target larger ships.
EU Navy said MV Luen May be used by pirates to successfully hijack bulk carriers MV Abdullah March 12th.
flying Bangladesh flag MV Abdullah Since then, the ship was sailed into Somali waters, and its 23 crew members are still being held hostage.
The Indian navy has been deployed off Somalia since 2008, but India stepped up counter-piracy efforts last year amid a surge in maritime attacks, including attacks in the Arabian Sea and attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in the Red Sea .
The Indian navy has also captured at least 18 suspected pirates this year, including during an operation to rescue three Iranian-flagged fishing boats.
Information about the fate of the hijackers has not been released publicly.
Since the Houthi attack in response to Israel’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas, many cargo ships have been slowing down at sea, awaiting instructions on whether to proceed.
Experts say this makes them vulnerable to attack.
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