The Navy foiled a piracy bid on a merchant ship about 450 nautical miles west of Mumbai on Thursday, rescuing all the 14 crew members.
Search operations on the vessel continued through Friday. Although there were no pirates, implements such a knives and crowbars were recovered, a defence press release stated.
“At about 6 a.m. on Thursday, merchant ship MV BBC Orinoco, with a crew of 14 [five Ukrainians and nine Filipinos], reported being attacked by pirates. The crew locked themselves in the ship's engine room and the steering compartment and communicated with their agents, UK MTO Dubai, on e-mail. Dubai, in turn, intimated the Indian Navy for assistance,” the note said.
The Navy deployed INS Veer to “intercept the distressed vessel, and also sailed a capital ship INS Delhi, with a team of Marine Commandos (MARCOS).” The Navy's long-range maritime patrol aircraft conducted an aerial survey.
The Coast Guard to responded to the situation keeping Dornier aircraft “on hot standby” and asking their “ships on assigned mission” also to be on stand-by.
“MARCOS slithered onto the merchant ship from a Sea King helicopter and took the crew, who were locked in compartments, to safety, while the helicopter provided air-borne fire support.”
Once the crew was moved to safety, naval personnel conducted “a thorough search” of the ship. On receiving an all clear, the vessel will set course for its destination. The MV BBC Orinoco, a General Cargo Carrier, is registered in Antigua and Barbuda.
