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This article was first published 13 years ago

MUST SEE: Navy pins down Somali pirates in heroic face-off

Last updated on: November 11, 2011 19:04 IST

Image: Indian Navy thwarts piracy bid in Gulf of Aden

Indian Naval Ship Sukanya, deployed on anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden under the operational control of the Western Naval Command, thwarted a multiple-boat attack by pirates on Thursday and rescued 26 Somali crewmembers.

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Navy pins down Somali pirates in heroic face-off

Image: Indian Naval Ship Sukanya intercepted five boats

The ship was escorting a group of five merchant vessels through the internationally recognised transit corridor at 9:25 hours on Thursday when officers onboard detected a group of five boats approaching the merchant vessels.

The warship immediately changed its route and challenged the pirates ferrying the suspicious vessels

Navy pins down Somali pirates in heroic face-off

Image: 26 crewmembers were rescued by Indian Navy

The pirates tried to reverse the course of the boats and tried to flee. Two managed to give the Indian Navy a slip, but the other three boats were intercepted.

Navy pins down Somali pirates in heroic face-off


During the operation, six AK 47 rifles, 12 magazines and about 300 rounds of ammunition were found and confiscated. In addition, a host of other equipment such as grapnels were also confiscated.

Navy pins down Somali pirates in heroic face-off

Image: Thursday's was the fifth piracy attempt foiled by the Navy

This is the fifth successful anti-piracy operation conducted by Sukanya, in the course of her ongoing patrol mission in the Gulf of Aden, which commenced in September. So far, the Indian Navy has confiscated 14 AK 47 Rifles, 31 magazines and 923 rounds of ammunition from pirates.