Indian Navy rescues merchant vessel from piracy threat

One high calibre ALM rifle with filled magazine was found hidden on-board on one of the dhows which were confiscated.

The Indian Navy on Tuesday rescued Liberian registered merchant vessel m v Lord Mountbatten from piracy attempts in the Gulf of Aden.

"On May 16, at 4:45 p.m., we received a distress call from m v Lord Mountbatten, 230nm southwest of Salalah in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel reported an incident of attempted piracy by two suspicious mother vessels along with seven to eight skiffs," Navy spokesperson Captain D.K. Sharma said on Wednesday.

INS Sharda, which was 30 nautical miles away that time, responded immediately. As soon as it arrived at the location, three of the skiffs "fled the area at high speed.''

The ship was deployed for anti-piracy operations on April 6 this year.

 

The Navy's MARCOS commandos, with the support of an armed helicopter from the ship, investigated the dhows and their skiffs by conducting boat and search operations, Captain Sharma added.

The commandos also fired shots from the light machine gun on the helicopter, following which the pirates surrendered.

The absence of any fishing gear on-board the dhows indicates piracy linked intentions, Navy officials stated.

One high calibre ALM rifle with filled magazine was found hidden on-board on one of the dhows, which were let go later.