Pirate attacks worldwide has witnessed a sharp decline in the first half of 2012 as international naval efforts played a key role in "frustrating" the menace posed by Somali pirates, a global maritime watchdog said on Monday.
In the second major anti-piracy operation off Lakshadweep in 10 days, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard on Sunday apprehended 52 men including 28 suspected Somali pirates on board a ship after a brief gun-battle near the islands.
With 53 Indian sailors still held captive by Somali pirates, India on Thursday said the safety and security of Indians remains the priority of government and efforts were on to seek their safe release. With the release of the RAK Afrikana, held by Somali pirates with 11 Indian sailors among its crew, the number of Indian sailors held by Somali pirates is now 53 who were captured during the hijacking of five ships.
After being held in captivity for more than three months by Somali pirates, seven out of 22 Indian crewmembers of the Panama-flagged cargo vessel 'Al Khaliq' returned safely in Mumbai on Thursday.
'Due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, a faction operating in the Red Sea -- which is a typically safe area - has been firing projectiles arbitrarily.' 'Additionally, there have been two incidents involving Somali pirates, and one vessel has been hijacked.'
Defence Minister A K Antony ruled out any plans for offensive action against Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden despite an increase in piracy- related incidents.
Saving the lives of Indians held hostage by Somali pirates would be the prime concern of the government when it decides on taking appropriate action, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said on Monday.
The Indian Navy's specialist team had protected them from nine armed pirates, and completed sanitization and seaworthiness checks of fishing vessel Al-Kambar.
All the 18 crew members on board the Japanese ship have now returned to India after their two-month ordeal. While Goyal and six others arrived at the city's International Airport from Muscat at about 0400 hours, five others had earlier landed at Mumbai on Monday.
All 26 Indian crew on board the Indian ship were safe.
The Indian Navy rescued an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with 19 Pakistani crew members and a Sri Lankan trawler in two swift operations after armed pirates hijacked the boats in the Arabian Sea amid deteriorating security situation arising out of Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeting various cargo ships in the region.
Indian warship INS Sharda came to the rescue of the vessel FV Omaril with 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani crew members after it came under attack from pirates, they said.
Three piracy attempts in last four days in the Gulf of Aden have been thwarted by the Indian Navy which neutralised eight armed Somali pirates, navy officials said on Monday.
Raising concerns over Somali pirates holding hostage several Gujarati sailors, Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure their safe release.
The sailors, who belong to Gujarat's Saurashtra and Kutch regions, had anchored last in the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia where they loaded cargo onto their boats. But soon after, they were taken hostage. The pirates have, however, till now not demanded any ransom.
Seven Indian sailors aboard the MV Asphalt Venture, who were taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2010 and were freed on October 30, finally flew into Mumbai from Nairobi on Monday afternoon.
Six Indian sailors, who were part of the 22-member crew of MV Suez vessel that was recently freed by Somali pirates, on Thursday reached Karachi harbour and would be sent back to India soon.
Six Indian sailors on the M V Suez who were kept captive by Somali pirates for 10 months returned to New Delhi on Friday. They were all praise for the people and government of Pakistan and angry at the lack of response from the Indian government. Sahim Salim meets them and their families.
Seema Goyal can't stop hugging her three children since she heard that her husband Captain Prabhat Kumar Goyal and 17 sailors aboard hijacked ship M T Stolt Valor have been released by Somali pirates, ending the agonising two-month wait of their families.
The Indian Navy rescued the hijacked Iranian fishing vessel 'Al-Kambar 786' and its crew after more than 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures as part of an anti-piracy operation on March 29.
The crew of an Egyptian freighter including six Indians, released by Somali pirates on Monday, came under renewed attack by the sea brigands on Wednesday as they sailed in the pirate-infested Somali waters on way to a port in Oman. However, there was no report of any casualty. While the 22-member crew of MV Suez faced the threat of being retaken, the Directorate General of Shipping said the Indian Navy is coordinating with other navies for the safe passage of the ship.
Captain Ramesh Singh and seven sailors were released on April 15 by the pirates after reaching a deal with the owners of the vessel, which involved payment of an undisclosed ransom amount.
The Liberian-flagged Smyrni, carrying 135,000 tons of oil, was seized off the coast of Oman, the company said, in new indications that Somali pirates are operating close to Indian shores.
China on Wednesday expressed its "heartfelt gratitude" to the navies of India, the United States and Turkey for their efforts in saving 24 Chinese sailors from falling into the hands of Somali pirates and said international community should work more closely in fighting sea menace.
The Centre on Friday said that the Indian Navy had 'coordinated' with other navies operating in the piracy-affected region to provide security cover to MV Suez, the Egyptian merchant vessel with six Indian nationals, which was released by Somali pirates four days ago. "The Navy coordinated with other navies in the region so that security cover could be provided to MV Suez, the ship which was released by pirates recently.
The Union ministry of shipping along with other government agencies is stepping up efforts for the release of 39 Indian sailors who have been held captive by Somali pirates, Union Minister G K Vasan said on Tuesday.
The Indian crew members, who were onboard the Ship M V Victoria, which was hijacked on May 17 near the Somalia coast by heavily armed pirates, have been released, the Directorate General of Shipping on Friday said.
The Indian Navy rescued 26 people, including 11 Indians on-board a sinking merchant vessel with the help of an Italian warship after they were released by Somali pirates following a ransom payment. After being in captivity in Somalia since April last year, MV RAK Africana, a ship owned by captain Ajay Kotwal, could not sail out of the Somali coast on March 9 because of engine problems, Navy officials said.
"It was a nightmare," said Hari C Nair, one of the 17 Indian sailors released by Somalian pirates after spending 11 months in captivity, recalled on Wednesday.
The Somali pirates' attempts to bargain with the Indian government to swap seven Indian hostages for their men imprisoned in Indian jails points to the absence of a specific law to deal with pirates and maritime hostages, say experts.
Nine hijacked vessels, carrying 95 Indians, have been traced to Mogadishu off Somalia and efforts are being made to secure their release, official sources said on Monday.
After 10 months of captivity by Somali pirates, six Indian sailors of Egypt-owned cargo ship MV Suez reached New Delhi on Friday.
Mumbai-based OMCI Ship Management, the owners of the ship, on Saturday clarified that all the crew members of the ill-fated vessel were Indians and seven of them were still being held.
All Indian nationals on board a ship taken hostage by Somali pirates are safe and negotiation for an early release of the crew is on, Foreign minister S M Krishna told Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Friday, allaying concerns about the safety of the people from the state.
Eight Indian sailors on board a dhow, hijacked by Somali pirates last month, have been rescued by US and Oman navies, but one of them died as he jumped into the sea fearful of getting hurt, a shipping association on Tuesday said.
Armed Somalian pirates on Friday released three Indians and 26 other members of the crew on board a hijacked cargo ship after keeping them in captivity for more than one and half months.
A 14-member Indian crew on board a country-made vessel hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden have been rescued in a joint operation by Indian and French warships, the Navy said on Thursday.
Eight Somali nationals suspected to be pirates, who were apprehended by the security agencies have been brought to Kochi for further interrogation.
In a major development, INS Godavari has successfully foiled a piracy attempt on Greek ship MV Elinakos in the Gulf of Aden, a navy statement said on Tuesday.
After nearly 32 months of being held captive on board the cargo ship MV Iceberg, five Indians sailors released by Somali pirates returned home on Saturday.
