Indian Navy thwarts piracy attack on Bangladesh-flagged vessel off Sonalia coast

New Delhi: The Indian Navy swiftly responded to an attack by pirates on a Bangladeshi-flagged vessel off the coast of Somalia and deployed its assets to rescue crew members who were taken hostage.

The Bangladesh-flagged vessel MV Abdullah carrying coal was headed from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates when it came under attack by pirates.

"Indian Navy's Mission deployed warship and an LRMP responded to a piracy attack on MV Abdullah, a Bangladeshi-flagged vessel, whilst enroute from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates," the Indian Navy posted on X.

After receiving intimations, the Indian Navy immediately deployed a warship and the Long Range Maritime Patrol (LRMP). After locating the Bangladesh vessel, it tried to establish communication to ascertain the status of the ship's crew members, but failed to recieve a response from the ship.

The mission-deployed warship on Maritime Security Operations, which had also been diverted, intercepted the hijacked MV Abdullah on Thursday morning.

The Indian Navy ascertained the safety of the crew on the vessel, who were all Bangladesh nationals held hostage by the armed pirates.

"Indian Navy warship continued to maintain in close vicinity of the MV till its arrival in the territorial waters of Somalia," the statement added.

Earlier this month, the Indian Navy swiftly responded to a distress call from the Gulf of Aden where a merchant vessel caught fire after being hit by a missile, and rescued 21 crew members, including one Indian national.

The Indian Navy informed in a statement on Thursday that its naval warship, INS Kolkata, swiftly acted against Wednesday's maritime incident and all the crew members were safely evacuated to Djibouti.

Last month, responding to the distress call from a fishing vessel, an Indian Naval ship mission that was deployed in the North Arabian Sea for maritime security operations, provided damage control assistance and undertook strengthening of the hull, rendering the boat safe for further transit.

The relentless and persistent efforts of the Indian Navy reaffirm its resolve towards the safety of all vessels and seafarers transiting in the region, the statement added.