Indian Navy thwarts piracy bid in Gulf of Aden

Swift and timely action by the Indian Navy foiled a piracy bid against a ship carrying vital cargo for India. The action took place off the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, and the Indian warship INS Trikand deterred the piracy attack on the merchant vessel MV Golden Arsenal.  The merchant ship had one Indian crew member, sources said here on Thursday.

Narrating the sequence of events, they said that when the ship was attacked, the crew took refuge in a secure location and transmitted a distress signal on an emergency channel. The Indian Navy - which has a dedicated anti-piracy force in the area - was alerted and deployed rapidly.

As the warship approached the merchant ship, the pirates fled, sources confirmed. Marine Commandos (MARCOS)of the Navy then boarded the MV Golden Arsenal to conduct a thorough sanitisation operation - to make sure there were no armed intruders on board the vessel. Once the vessel was sanitised and the crew were given medical check-ups, the Golden Arsenal continued on its way.

On June 19 the same warship responded to another distress call — this time from MV Fareeda 5 — about a likely piracy attempt in the Western Indian Ocean and undertook prompt action to investigate and deter pirates.