Naval forces in India including special commandos on Sunday morning seized a cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates and rescued 17 crew members, a spokesperson for the navy said.
In a post on the social media platform X on Sunday, the navy revealed that all 35 pirates on board the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo vessel MV Ruen had surrendered, and the ship had been checked for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition and contraband.
The MV Ruen was hijacked late last year and the navy said it first intercepted the vessel on Friday.
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“The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender and release the vessel and any civilians they may be holding against their will,” the navy said in a statement.
“The Indian navy remains committed to maritime security and safety of seafarers in the region,” it added.
The vessel may have been used as the base for the takeover of a Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia earlier this week, the European Union naval force said.
The hijacking of the Ruen in December was the first successful takeover of a vessel involving Somali pirates since 2017 when a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
In another report, the military junta in Guinea on Sunday announced that the head of its national electricity company had been fired from his position after repeated power cuts sparked deadly protests in the military-ruled country.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that Laye Sekou Camara of Electricity in Guinea (EDG) was sacked along with his two deputies, Fode Soumah and Abdoulaye Kone, in a decree signed by junta chief General Mamady Doumbouya.
The managing director and deputy of Guinea’s national oil company were also dismissed in a separate decree.