Navy ship foils piracy bid on Indian merchant vessel

A Navy vessel thwarted an attack on an Indian merchant vessel, MV Desh Rakshak, in the action undertaken by the Indian Navy in its ongoing operation to counter piracy in the Arabian Sea.

The attack on the merchant vessel, MV Desh Rakshak, was thwarted by INS Sukanya on Wednesday, a Navy release said.

A boat, about 12 meters in length, with a skiff in tow, was observed approaching MV Desh Rakshak from about 5-6 nautical miles and personnel from the boat were observed to be boarding the skiff, it said.

"INS Sukanya, which was carrying out escort operations, immediately altered her course towards this boat and launched a Chetak helicopter to carry out an investigation. The boat was warned to stop and the 14-member crew was ordered on the upper deck," it said.

Thereafter, a boarding party from the ship carried out a search of the boat. This search revealed that the boat was carrying three rifles, eight magazines and about 320 rounds of ammunition.

In addition, ladders and grapnels normally used by pirates to board merchant vessels were also found.

The boat was also carrying a large quantity of fuel and LPG cylinders, in addition to communication and navigation equipment. The arms and ammunition were seized and other piracy related equipment thrown overboard, after which the boat was released.