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The Indian Navy said it freed a ship hijacked by Somali kidnappers and rescued its crew, amid fears that piracy is on the rise again in the region.
An Indian warship on Friday intercepted the Bulgarian-owned bulk carrier Ruin, which was hijacked in December, before forcing the 35 pirates to surrender on Saturday evening, the Indian Navy said.
She added that none of the 17 members of the Rowen crew were harmed in the accident, which occurred 2,600 kilometers off the Indian coast.
Analysts warn that Houthi rebel attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea have created an opportunity for a revival of piracy that has threatened maritime trade in recent decades.
The international forces deployed in the region focused their efforts on protecting ships from the wave of Houthi attacks that began since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. The ships were also rerouted away from the Red Sea and the heavily patrolled Suez Canal, to the Indian Ocean.
Last week, pirates seized another ship, the “Abdullah”, off the coast of Somalia. It was carrying coal to the United Arab Emirates.
The rescue mission was a success for India, which sought to play a more active role in global maritime security, joining the United States, the European Union and others in deploying forces to protect commercial shipping from Houthi attacks.
The Indian Navy also foiled a short-lived hijacking of another ship, the Leela Norfolk, in January. The Indian Navy said in a statement on Saturday that India is “committed to maritime security and safety of sailors.”
At the height of their activities more than a decade ago, Somali pirates were responsible for hundreds of attacks a year on commercial ships before an international campaign to enhance security in the Indian Ocean succeeded in reducing the number of hijackings.
Last month, the head of the UN's International Maritime Organization told the Financial Times that shipping companies needed to step up security again to prevent the return of widespread piracy.
Houthi rebels have attacked dozens of ships since the start of the war in Gaza, killing three sailors in an attack this month and sinking a dry goods tanker in February.
