Somalia Pirates

Somalia is asking the United Nations to terminate its political mission in the country, which has been assisting the government to bring peace and stability in the face of attacks by the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab. In a letter to the Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres obtained Friday by The Associated Press, Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said the decision followed a thorough consideration of our strategic priorities. The current mandate of the mission, known as UNSOM, expires Oct. 31 and Fiqi asked for the swift conclusion of the necessary procedures for the termination of the mission by the end of the mandate. The U.N. mission has worked closely with African Union peacekeepers, whose current transitional mission, ATMIS, has been scaling back its presence and is expected to turn over security responsibilities to Somali forces at the end of the year. In November, the Security Council suspended the AU pullout for three months at Somalia'

All nine pirates involved in piracy were apprehended on Wednesday after Indian Navy ships INS Trishul and INS Sumedha conducted successful anti-piracy operations east of Somalia on 29 March.The operations resulted in the rescue of FV Al Kambar and its crew of 23 Pakistani nationals.In an official post on X, the Indian Navy said, Robust actions by #IndianNavy ships Trishul & Sumedha during #antipiracy ops East of Somalia on #29Mar 24 had resulted in the successful rescue of FV Al Kambar & its crew of 23 Pakistani nationals. All nine pirates involved in piracy were apprehended for further transit to India.""INS Trishul arrived in Mumbai on 3 April and handed over all nine pirates to the local police for further legal action by the Indian laws, specifically the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act 2022," Indian Navy added.Indian Navy reaffirms its resolve to safeguard all merchant shipping and seafarers transiting in IOR irrespective of their nationality.On March 30, 23 Pakistani ...

The Mumbai police arrested nine pirates who were brought to India on Wednesday, days after the Navy caught them for hijacking an Iranian fishing vessel with 23 Pakistani crew members on board off the Somalia coast, an official said. The hijacking incident took place on March 29, he said. The Indian Navy rescued the hijacked Iranian fishing vessel and its crew after more than 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures as part of the anti-piracy operation. At the time of incident, the vessel was approximately 90 nm southwest of Socotra. "After the successful operation of the Indian Navy team, the pirates surrendered and the crew members were rescued. The pirates were then taken into custody by the Navy and after six days of journey, the pirates were brought to Mumbai," he said. The Navy then handed over the pirates to the city police, he added. The Mumbai police registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, the Passports A

A special court here on Tuesday directed the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to initiate an inquiry to ascertain the age of seven out of the 35 pirates, who were apprehended last month in an operation off the coast of Somalia, as they claim to be minors. All 35 pirates were produced before special judge B D Shelke at the end of their initial police remand on Tuesday. During the hearing, seven accused, through their lawyers, submitted documents such as birth certificate, school leaving certificate, etc to claim that they are minors. However, special public prosecutor Iqbal Solkar, appearing for the police, raised an objection about the veracity of the documents, and said it should be verified. The ossification tests done at a state-run hospital revealed that these seven accused are above 20 years of age, he added. Taking note of the contradictory views, the court asked the JJB to launch an inquiry to ascertain their age. The seven accused, for now, have been sent to a children's home

Indian Navy has responded to Israel-Hamas conflict's impact in maritime domain by re-orienting and significantly enhancing scope of its ongoing maritime security operations

Warship INS Kolkata, carrying 35 pirates who were apprehended in an operation off the coast of Somalia, reached Mumbai on Saturday morning, the Navy said. These pirates were then handed over to the Mumbai police, it said. The exercise was undertaken as part of the ongoing Operation Sankalp, wherein Indian Navy ships are deployed in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the safety of seafarers and mercantile trade passing through the region. "INS Kolkata, with the 35 apprehended pirates, returned to Mumbai on March 23 and handed over the pirates to the local police for further legal action in accordance with Indian laws, specifically the Maritime Anti Piracy Act 2022," the Navy said. In an operation lasting over 40 hours that commenced in the early hours of March 15, INS Kolkata intercepted Pirate Ship ex-MV Ruen in the Arabian Sea based on inputs received by Indian Navy's Information Fusion Centre -Indian Ocean Region from UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations). The .

35 Somali pirates were forced to surrender by the Indian Navy about 2,600 km from the Indian coast after it intercepted the ex-MV Ruen, hijacked by them for carrying out attacks on other vessels

The navy rescued 17 crew members of the vessel MV Ruen during an anti-piracy operation lasting nearly two days, with no casualties reported

The Indian Navy has foiled an attempt by Somali pirates by intercepting their vessel in the high seas off the east coast of Somalia, officials said on Saturday. The pirates had sailed out on board a ship that was hijacked around three months ago, they said. "The ex-MV Ruen, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates on 14 December, was reported to have sailed out as a pirate ship towards conducting acts of piracy on high seas," the Navy said. The vessel was intercepted by an Indian Navy warship on March 15, it said. The Navy said the vessel opened fire on the warship, which took actions following international law in self defence and to counter piracy with minimal force necessary to neutralise the pirates' threat to shipping and seafarers. "The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender and release the vessel and any civilians they may be holding against their will," the Navy said in a statement. "The Indian Navy remains committed to maritime security and safety

The attacks in the Arabian and Red Sea were the focus of discussions between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Indian counterpart Jaishankar at the recent Munich Security Conference

A rocket exploded late Tuesday night off the side of a ship travelling through the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, authorities said, the latest suspected attack to be carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The attack comes as the Houthis continue a series of assaults at sea over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and as the US and its allies launch airstrikes trying to stop them. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, which oversees shipping in the Mideast, reported the attack happened about 110 kilometres off the coast of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida. The rocket exploded several miles off the bow of the vessel, it said. The crew and vessel are reported to be safe and are proceeding to next port of call, the UKMTO said. The private security firm Ambrey reported that the vessel targeted appeared to be a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier in the area at the time. Another ship, a Panama-flagged, Emirati-owned chemical tanker

An Indian warship provided critical assistance to a merchant vessel after it caught fire following a suspected drone or missile attack in the Gulf of Aden, the latest in a series of such support missions in the region. Palau-flagged vessel MV Islander came under attack on Thursday and a crew member of the ship sustained injuries, Indian military officials said on Saturday. An explosive ordnance disposal team of the Navy embarked the vessel and sanitised it for any residual risk following which the vessel was cleared for onward transit, they said. The fresh incident comes amid growing global concerns over attacks on various commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi militants. A medical team of the Indian Navy also embarked MV Islander and provided medical assistance to the injured crew member, they said. In a swift response to a distress call from the vessel, the Indian warship arrived in the vicinity of the cargo ship within a few hours to provide critical support, an official .

Maritime piracy and smuggling will not be tolerated under any circumstances, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, adding that this was the promise of a 'New India'

Amid the attack on merchant navy vessels in the Red Sea and deployment of the Indian Navy's ships in the region, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India's greater capability, its own interest and reputation today warrant that it actually help in difficult situations. The Indian Navy has deployed 10 of its ships in the region, Jaishankar said responding to a question at an interaction at the Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai. India's greater capability, our own interest and our reputation today warrant that we actually help out in difficult situations, he said. We will not be considered a responsible country if bad things are happening around our neighbourhood and we say I have got nothing to do with this, Jaishankar said. On the 'India Out' campaign in Maldives, Jaishankar said at the end of the day neighbours need each other. History and geography are very powerful forces. There is no escape from that, he added. Notably, Indian warship INS Sumitra rescu

Indian Navy rescue mission: The Indian Navy's operation followed a day after INS Sumitra had successfully rescued a hijacked Iranian-flagged vessel MV Iman from Somali pirates

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If disruptions worsen, they could stall the slump in food-commodity costs that had started to filter through to cheaper grocery bills

Two US Navy SEALs are missing after conducting a nighttime boarding mission off the coast of Somalia, according to a US official. The mission was not related to Operation Prosperity Guardian, the ongoing US and international mission to provide protection to commercial vessels in the Red Sea, or the retaliatory strikes that the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted in Yemen over the past two days, the official said on Saturday. The operation the missing SEALs were conducting was also unrelated with the St. Nikolas, which is the oil tanker seized by Iran, according to a US official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not yet been made public. Besides the defense of ships from launched drones and missiles shot from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the US military has also come to the aid of commercial ships that have been the targets of piracy. In a statement on Saturday, US Central Command said that search and rescue operatio

According to the officials, the Indian warships are keeping an eye on the situation to deter any incidents at sea