The Times of India reports an Indian Navy officer as saying that 35 Somali
pirates who, back in December, hijacked a Maltese-flagged bulker, the Ruen,
to use as a mother ship will be brought to India and prosecuted.
The Indian Navy guided
missile destroyer INS Kolkata intercepted the Ruen around
260 nautical miles east of Somalia. The destroyer was supported by the patrol
vessel, INS Subhadra, P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft,
high-altitude long-endurance drones and additional marine commandos air-dropped
by an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster-III aircraft.
The Ruen was intercepted March 15,
with the pirates shooting down a small spotter drone launched by INS Kolkata. In a calibrated response, INS Kolkata disabled
the bulker’s steering system and navigational aids, forcing it to stop. Some
hours later, the pirates surrendered and the Ruen’s 17 crewmembers
were successfully and safely evacuated. The rescue of the crew follows the
Indian Navy’s successful rescue of the crew of another hijacked bulker,
the Lila Norfolk, back in January.
“The usual practice is
to set apprehended pirates adrift on their skiffs after disarming them to
ensure they do not pose a threat to other vessels,” the Navy officer told
the Times of India. “But these 35 pirates opened fire on our
warship. If they are let go, they will
re-group and begin their piracy attacks again.” “There is now also the
Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, which was notified last year, to prosecute such
cases,” the officer said.
At the time that legislation was
passed, the International Chamber of Shipping noted that it broadens the
definition of officers authorized to make arrests and seizures. Criminalizing
instigating, supporting and/or enabling piracy, the legislation provides that conviction under the new law would lead
to a sentence of life imprisonment or, if the accused is proved to have caused
death through an act of piracy, could result in the death penalty.