Navy thwarts suspected piracy attack on merchant vessel in western Indian Ocean

NEW DELHI: Indian Navy has foiled a suspected piracy onslaught connected a merchant vas successful the occidental Indian Ocean.“Responding swiftly to inputs of pirate enactment adjacent merchant vas M V Mashallah 1, stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata undertook a punctual enactment to analyse and deter the threat,” Navy said successful a statement.Officials said the warship reached the location, monitored activities of suspected pirates, and efficaciously deterred them done its operational presence. The probe was conducted utilizing the chopper onboard INS Kolkata. During the mission, Navy besides ensured harmless transition for MV Mashallah 1 done the delicate maritime zone.“This timely involution ensured the information of the merchant vas and prevented a imaginable piracy attack,” the connection said.

The incidental happened astir the Gulf of Aden.Following the incident, Indian Navy, arsenic a preferred information spouse and archetypal responder successful the region, said it remains committed to safeguarding merchant shipping, countering piracy and ensuring harmless and unafraid seas.Officials said piracy-related incidents person seen a emergence successful caller years crossed parts of occidental Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, posing superior challenges to merchant vessels.

To tackle specified increasing threats, the Navy has deployed its frontline warships successful that portion to support a cheque connected piracy activities and support a changeless vigil connected merchant vessels.The Navy has besides undertaken respective associated exercises and coordinated operations with affable overseas nations successful caller years to fortify anti-piracy mechanisms.Destroyer INS Kolkata, which thwarted the suspected piracy attack, was commissioned into the Indian Navy successful Aug 2014 by PM Modi. It is equipped with an array of gunnery and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapons and is the largest warship built indigenously. The vessel is fitted with medium-range and short-range guns, anti-air and aboveground missiles, aerial and aboveground surveillance radar, arsenic good arsenic bow-mounted sonar. Modern navigation and connection systems person besides been installed connected committee the ship.