Two commercial vessels, an oil tanker and a cargo ship, carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals, were hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia. All Indian crew members on both vessels are reported to be safe, according to the latest information from the shipping ministry and the External Affairs Ministry.
An Indian sailor was killed and several others rescued during an anti-piracy operation in Somalia. Security forces retook control of the hijacked fuel tanker MT Honour 25, apprehending 16 suspected pirates. Other Indian seafarers from different vessels were also safely repatriated amidst a resurgence of piracy in the region.
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.
The Indian Navy on Saturday said its guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam has deployed a team to help fire-fighting efforts on board British oil tanker MV Marlin Luanda which has got 22 Indian and one Bangladeshi crew members.
Navy officials on Monday said that the swift response by the Indian Navy's mission deployed warship INS Sumitra ensured the safe release of the hijacked vessel and its crew.
The Navy deployed a warship, maritime patrol aircraft P-8I, helicopters and and MQ9B Predator drones to assist the vessel, MV Lila Norfolk, after it sent a message on the UK Maritime Trade Operations portal, saying unknown armed personnel had boarded it on Thursday evening.
Indian Navy's elite marine commandos on Friday rescued 21 crew members including 15 Indians from a bulk carrier in the North Arabian Sea and sanitised it in a swift operation while responding to an attempted hijacking of the Liberian-flagged vessel by around five-six armed personnel.
An Indian Navy warship on Monday successfully repulsed a pirate attack on a United States-owned tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia coast. MT Nordik Spirit, the tanker owned by the Nordik Shipping Company, was sailing in the Gulf of Aden at approximately 3 pm when the pirates made an attempt to hijack it and fired at the crew members. The warship flew out its helicopters with marine commandos and on seeing it, the pirates gave up their hijack attempt on the tanker.
A cargo ship missing for a week with 14 crew members, including Indians, is feared to have been hijacked in the piracy-prone South China Sea, prompting Malaysian maritime authorities to launch a search on Thursday.
In yet another hijacking of a cargo ship, heavily-armed Somali pirates on Friday seized a chemical tanker with 25 Indians among the 31 crew in the Gulf of Aden.
Swift intervention by a Malaysian naval helicopter on Thursday saved an Indian vessel from a hijack bid by armed pirates dressed in military attire in the Gulf of Aden region, off Somalia.
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.
The plight of the 17 Indian sailors aboard a chemical taker 'Royal Grace', who have been held hostage by Somali pirates since March 2, 2012, can only be described as hellish. The ship was hijacked when it was sailing to Nigeria from Dubai -- there are 22 hostages onboard -- of whom 17 are Indians. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
All 23 Indian sailors aboard an oil tanker were safe on Wednesday after the Nigerian navy rescued their vessel that was hijacked briefly by pirates off the coast of southern Nigeria.
A Turkish oil-chemical tanker with an all Indian crew of 24 has been hijacked by pirates off the coast of the West African nation Gabon.
Indian Navy on Wednesday said its ships and aircraft remain 'mission deployed' for maintaining enhanced surveillance and undertaking maritime security operations.
'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.'
India on Thursday said it is closely watching the unfolding situation in the Red Sea, amid growing global concerns over Houthi militants stepping up attacks on several commercial ships in the region.
The Indian Navy's 'mission deployed' guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam responded to the attack within an hour of receiving a distress call from the vessel Genco Picardy, they said.
After almost 12 months in captivity and the death of an officer, 21 crewmen of merchant navy tanker Royal Grace were set free. Rediff.com's Priyanka spoke to one of the captives, a 24-year-old junior electrical officer.
The Indian Navy, which regards itself as the 'net security provider' in the Indian Ocean Region, has also stepped up to the plate, with a warship stationed at all times off the Gulf of Aden for counter-piracy tasks. 91 Indian warships have been deployed in the region since 2008, patrolling high risk areas where piracy was rampant.
"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 Indian Navy has deployed task groups comprising frontline destroyers and frigates in the central and north Arabian Sea and augmented its force levels in the region to undertake maritime security operations in view of recent attacks on commercial vessels in key shipping lanes.
An oil tanker with 21 Indian crew members on board was hijacked on Saturday off the coast of Oman, Directorate General of Shipping said in Mumbai.
In the third such attack in over two weeks in the Gulf of Guinea, the Singapore-owned vessel, MT Abu Dhabi Star, was taken over by pirates on Tuesday night when it was sailing towards the open sea.
Using rocket launchers and submachine guns, suspected Somali pirates abducted 17 Indian and five Italian sailors after hijacking a large Italian-flagged oil tanker in the Indian Ocean.
Pirates are holding 45 crew members, including Indians after they seized a UK-flagged chemical tanker and a Panamanian carrier off the piracy infested Somalia's coast, a top official of the maritime watchdog said in Kuala Lumpur.
Gupta was demanding that a fact-finding committee report on an alleged water tanker scam during Sheila Dikshit's tenure be made public and a calling attention motion on the matter. Speaker Ram Niwas Goel rejected the demand.
