Dubai: The Indian Navy destroyed a “mother vessel” engaged in piracy in the Gulf of Aden a day after pirates forced a hijacked oil supertanker to enter Somalia’s perilous waters.
The incident took place 285 nautical miles (528 km) southwest of Oman’s port of Salalah on Tuesday. According to the Navy, its warship INS Tabar spotted a ship which was similar to one of the vessels that was suspected of coordinating piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Two speedboats were accompanying the “mother vessel.” The ship threatened to blow up Tabar when it was asked to stop for investigation. Armed with guns and rocket propelled grenades, the pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of their ship. The Navy said Tabar retaliated when the other ship opened fire. Consequently, the vessel caught fire. Loud explosions could be heard, possibly because ammunition stored in the ship went off. In its statement, the Navy added: “Almost simultaneously, the two speedboats were observed breaking off to escape. The ship chased the first boat, which was later found abandoned. The other boat made good its escape into darkness." This is the second major occasion when the Navy encountered pirates in the Gulf of Aden. It prevented the hijacking of the Indian merchant ship, Jag Arnav, and a Saudi vessel on November 11.
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