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Indian Navy retakes hijacked vessel; Houthis continue attacks in Red Sea region
India’s navy has rescued a bulk carrier captured in December 2023 by Somali pirates; Houthis claim to have hypersonic weapons
The Indian Navy has rescued Navigation Maritime Bulgare (Navibulgar)-owned bulk carrier Ruen that was hijacked in December 2023 and freed crew taken hostage by the Somali pirates who hijacked the vessel.
Posting on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Indian Navy said "in the last 40 hours, through concerted actions, [naval vessels] successfully cornered and coerced all 35 pirates to surrender and ensured safe evacuation of 17 crew members... without any injur[ies]".
Indian naval vessels intercepted Ruen some 1,400 nautical miles from India’s coast. The Indian Navy said it was aware of reports that the vessel was sailing "as a pirate ship towards conducting acts of piracy on the high seas".
"The vessel opened fire on the warship, which is taking actions [in accordance with] international law, in self-defence and to counter piracy, with minimal force necessary to neutralise the pirates’ threat to shipping and seafarers," the Indian Navy said.
The Indian Air Force said it had assisted the operation by dropping rubberised combat boats.
It is not clear, but the rescued, 45,000-dwt bulk carrier Ruen may have been used by Somali pirates in the hijacking of another bulk carrier, Bangladesh-flagged Abdullah.
In his opening remarks at the start of International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting, IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez congratulated the Indian Navy on its rescue operation of Ruen but called for further efforts to free 23 captive mariners on board Abdullah.
"The situation is further complicated by the fact that 23 crew members of Bangladesh nationality aboard Abdullah are being held hostage following an attack perpetrated by Somali pirates on 11 March 2024, approximately 500 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. I am closely monitoring the situation and express my appreciation for the efforts of member states involved in Operation Atalanta to co-ordinate the most efficient and effective action," Mr Dominguez said.
15 March
UK-based maritime security consultancy Ambrey posted an alert to vessels in the Indian Ocean region saying the Navibulgar-owned bulk carrier Ruen that was hijacked in December 2023 may be being used by Somali pirates to facilitate further hijackings.
"The Malta-flagged bulk carrier, Ruen, which had previously been hijacked and the crew kidnapped in December 2023, was reportedly sighted sailing eastwards 160 nautical miles southeast of Eyl, Somalia. The ransom had not been paid and it was suspected the vessel may be used as a mothership to conduct further attacks on merchant vessels," Ambrey said in its 14 March 2024 alert.
On 11 March, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) naval service reported that a vessel had been boarded 600 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, Somalia.
"The company security officer reports vessel boarded by multiple persons from two craft, one large and one small. Unauthorised persons now have control of the vessel," UKMTO said.
On 12 March, the Indian Navy deployed a warship in response to "a piracy attack on [bulk carrier] Abdullah, a Bangladesh-flagged vessel, whilst en route from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates".
In a post on social media platform X on 15 March, the Indian Navy said its vessel attempted to establish communication with the 58,000-dwt bulk carrier but received no response from the vessel.
According to the Indian Navy, another coalition warship diverted and intercepted the "hijacked [vessel] on the morning of 14 March 2024. The safety of all [vessel] crew (all Bangladesh nationals) held hostage by the armed pirates was ascertained and the warship continued to remain in close vicinity of the [vessel] til its arrival in the territorial waters of Somalia".
In December 2023, Navibulgar confirmed it had lost contact with Ruen and Bulgarian government officials called the incident a hijacking. That incident began off Yemen’s Socotra Island.
Houthi attacks
As the hijacking and rescue events in the western Indian Ocean have played out over the last several days and Somali piracy has made a return as one multiple threats facing mariners in the Red Sea region, Houthis have continued to fire on merchant vessels transiting near Yemen.
The IMO Secretary-General addressed the ongoing attacks that began in late November 2023 and have claimed the lives of three seafarers and injured several more.
"The continued attacks by the Houthis against seafarers in the Red Sea are categorically unacceptable. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the attack on the vessel True Confidence. I would also like to extend my condolences to the delegations of the Philippines and Vietnam. My thoughts and those of the entire IMO family are with the families of the victims and with the seafarers who suffered serious injuries. I strongly condemn all attacks. There should be no more casualties," he said.
There have been multiple attacks in series of incidents in the vicinity of Yemen in recent days.
On 17 March, the UKMTO reported that a vessel had come under fire, with "an explosion in close proximity to the vessel" in an area of water some 150 km east of Aden, Yemen. No damage was reported and the crew are safe, UKMTO said.
On 16 March, US Central Command (Centcom) said it had destroyed a number of drones in Yemen in response to drones fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Red Sea.
On 15 March, Ambrey reported that a merchant vessel had come under repeated fire from Houthi missiles and the UKMTO reported multiple missile explosions in the vicinity of an unspecified number of vessels.
Ambrey’s alert said a tanker that "was listed as Israel-affiliated but had changed ownership in February 2024" came under fire on both 14 and 15 March. The vessel reported near misses on 14 March around 32 km southeast of Aden, Yemen, while sailing toward the Suez Canal on a trip that departed from Singapore. The vessel’s master initially reported that the vessel took a missile strike in the early morning (local time) hours of 15 March "on the starboard side while underway northbound in the Red Sea, approximately 142 km northwest of Hodeidah, Yemen. The master reported no injuries to crew but damage to the vessel, however, following a daylight inspection, the master corrected his initial overnight statements, saying the vessel had not been hit and had not sustained damage.
According to a report in Russia’s state media, the Houthis have claimed to have a hypersonic missile and the Houthi’s leader has vowed to use it to disrupt merchant shipping further afield from where the rebel militia forces have targeted thus far.
US news outlet the Associated Press quoted Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi as saying Houthi forces “continue to expand the effectiveness and scope of our operations to areas and locations the enemy never expects," saying they would hit vessels “connected to the Israeli enemy even crossing the Indian Ocean ... heading toward the Cape of Good Hope”.
Hypersonic missiles employ irregular flight trajectories, making it more difficult for the missiles to be intercepted.
As Houthi attacks have continued relatively unabated, the US Central Command has said it has initiated retaliatory strikes and taken out missiles and drones it deemed as a threat to merchant vessels and coalition naval vessels in the region.
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