Indian, Chinese navies thwart pirate attack on merchant vessel in joint op

New Delhi: Indian and Chinese Navies on Sunday rescued a merchant ship off the Gulf of Aden, which had been hijacked by pirates.

Indian Navy warships INS Mumbai, a guided missile destroyer, and INS Tarkash, a Russian-built guided missile frigate were the first to respond to the alert sent out by the United Kingdom's Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO), said an NDTV report.

The UKMTO was monitoring the movement of the merchant ship sailing between Kelang in Malaysia and the Port of Aden.

The Chinese, Italian and Pakistani Navies also responded to the alert, said the report. But the Indian Navy warships deployed a helicopter and raced to the merchant ship after establishing direct communication with the ship’s crew. The crew were hiding in the ‘citadel’ of the ship, an enclosed location meant for protection from pirate attack.

After the Indian Navy’s action, Chinese special forces also moved in for the rescue operation, and boarded the bulk carrier to sanitise the ship of pirates.

However, no pirates were found on board, said the report, indicating that they had fled as the two Navies responded to the distress call.

The NDTV report added that the Chinese Navy had thanked their Indian counterparts for the mission.