Indian Navy thwarts Somali pirate bid

The Indian Navy has proved its mettle again.

The Indian frigate INS Godavari foiled a hijack bid by Somali pirates on a Greek cargo vessel in the Gulf of Aden, where it is on anti-piracy deployment since May.

On July 16 morning, eight Somali pirates tried to hijack MV Elinakos and the crew sent out a distress alert. All special task force ships and vessels of all the navies deployed in the Gulf of Aden rushed to the cargo vessel’s aid.

INS Godavari, which was escorting four other cargo ships to ensure their safe passage in the Gulf of Aden, was close by and immediately dispatched a helicopter and a team of marine commandos on speed boats to rescue the Greek vessel.

The commandos spotted the Somali pirate team on a skiff near the cargo vessel. But by the time they reached the skiff, the pirates dumped their arms and ammunition into the sea.

“The pirates were not arrested because they had thrown their arms into the water. The commandos searched their boat and found nothing and so were forced to let them go,” said a defence spokesperson on Tuesday.

The German naval ship Niedersachsen coordinated with INS Godavari in the operation.

Since its deployment in the Gulf of Aden in May this year, INS Godavari has safely escorted 219 cargo vessels of various countries. Last week, INS Godavari had escorted MV Islamabad with an all-Pakistani crew of 38 in the pirate-infested waters of Gulf of Aden

Since 2008, the Indian Navy has deployed warships in the Gulf of Aden and has safely escorted 1,665 cargo vessels