Indian Navy frees ship hijacked by Somali pirates

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India’s navy said it freed a ship that had been captured by Somali hijackers and rescued the crew, amid fears that piracy was once again on the rise in the region.

An Indian warship intercepted the Bulgarian-owned bulk carrier Ruen, which was hijacked in December, on Friday before forcing the 35 pirates aboard the vessel to surrender on Saturday evening, the navy said.

It added that none of the Ruen’s 17 crew members were injured in the incident, which took place 2,600km off the Indian coast.

Analysts warn that attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial shipping in the Red Sea have created an opportunity for a revival of the piracy that had menaced maritime trade in recent decades.

International forces deployed to the region have focused their efforts on protecting ships from the wave of Houthi attacks launched since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Ships have also rerouted away from the more heavily patrolled Red Sea and Suez Canal into the Indian Ocean.

Pirates last week seized another ship, the Abdullah, off the coast of Somalia. It had been carrying coal to the United Arab Emirates.

The rescue mission was a success for India, which has sought to play a more active role in global maritime security, joining the US, EU and others in deploying forces to protect commercial shipping from the Houthi attacks.

The Indian navy also thwarted a shortlived pirate hijacking of another ship, the Lila Norfolk, in January. India is “committed to maritime security and safety of seafarers”, the navy said in a statement on Saturday.

At the peak of their activities over a decade ago, Somali pirates were responsible for hundreds of attacks a year on commercial ships before an international campaign to increase security in the Indian Ocean succeeded in bringing the number of hijackings down.

The head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization last month told the Financial Times that shipping companies needed to once again bolster security to prevent a return of widescale piracy.

Houthi rebels have attacks dozens of ships since the start of the war in Gaza, killing three seafarers in an attack this month and sinking a dry bulk carrier in February.