Solar Energy News
PILLAGING PIRATES
Indian navy rescues Iranian fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates
Indian navy rescues Iranian fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates
by AFP Staff Writers
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 30, 2024

India's navy said Tuesday it had freed an Iranian fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates, the second in as many days, after the latest attack on Indian Ocean shipping.

The warship INS Sumitra "compelled the safe release" of the 19 Pakistani crew members and the Iranian-flagged Al Naeemi fishing vessel, the spokesman said.

A total of "11 Somali pirates" had taken the crew hostage, the navy said.

Photographs released by the navy showed Somali pirates wielding AK-47 rifles standing on the boat, and another with a navy helicopter hovering overhead.

Further photographs showed commandos boarding the fishing boat in the dark, then standing with rifles over a group of pirates, the men kneeling at their feet with their hands tied behind their backs on the ship's deck.

The rescue took place overnight Monday off the Somali coast, some 850 nautical miles (1,574 kilometres) west of the Indian city of Kochi.

It came just 36 hours after India said its forces had freed 17 crew members of the Iranian-flagged Iman fishing vessel, also taken by Somali pirates.

In a third case, commandos from the Seychelles on Monday freed the Sri Lankan fishing vessel Lorenzo Putha-4 and safely rescued its six-man crew.

That boat had been hijacked three days earlier by Somali gunmen about 840 nautical miles (1,555 kilometres) southeast of Mogadishu, the capital of impoverished and war-ravaged Somalia.

- 'Motherships' -

The hijackings off Somalia have fuelled concerns about a resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates, coming on top of a separate surge in attacks launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

Huthi gunmen have launched scores of attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden targeting Israeli-linked vessels in response to Israel's war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

International naval forces have been diverted north from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea, sparking fears that pirates will exploit the security gap, with the first successful case of Somali piracy since 2017 recorded in December.

Pirate attacks off the Somali coast peaked in 2011 -- with gunmen launching attacks as far as 3,655 kilometres (2,270 miles) from the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean -- before falling off sharply after international navies sent warships and commercial shipping deployed armed guards.

Somali pirates previously would use high-powered open skiffs to seize fishing vessels they could then use as "motherships" to travel far further into the Indian Ocean to attack larger ships.

As well as rescuing the crew and freeing the boats, India said its operations were preventing "misuse of fishing vessels as motherships for further acts of piracy" on larger merchant vessels.

India's navy has been deployed continuously off Somalia since 2008, but in December sent a far larger force -- including three guided-missile destroyers and P-8I reconnaissance aircraft to "maintain a deterrent presence" after a string of shipping attacks.

India, which has close trade ties with Iran, has not joined the US-led maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect international shipping against attacks by Huthi rebels.

In December, Somali pirates hijacked the Malta-flagged bulk carrier MV Ruen.

After releasing one injured sailor into the care of the Indian navy, the pirates took the MV Ruen and its remaining 17 crew members to Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland.

Related Links
21st Century Pirates

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
PILLAGING PIRATES
Indian navy frees Iranian fishing boat hijacked off Somalia
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 29, 2024
India's navy said Monday it had freed an Iranian fishing vessel that had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia in the latest attack against shipping in the Indian Ocean. The hijacking off Somalia fuelled concerns about a resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates, coming on top of a separate surge of attacks launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels. "The fishing vessel had been boarded by pirates and the crew taken as hostages," Indian navy spokesman Commander Vive ... read more

PILLAGING PIRATES
Ants help reveal why sourcing different plants for eco fuels is crucial for biodiversity

Synthetic aviation fuel has yet to take off in Europe: study

Researchers create light-powered yeast, providing insights into evolution, biofuels, cellular aging

Nigerians look to biofuel as cost of cooking gas soars

PILLAGING PIRATES
GMV Spearheads AVIS Project for Enhancing Autonomous Vessel Navigation in Europe

Innovative bipedal robot merging biology and robotics introduced by Tokyo scientists

Tech layoffs for AI, but Wall Street ready for stellar earnings

Microsoft, Google ride AI wave as revenues surge

PILLAGING PIRATES
Leaf-shaped generators create electricity from the wind and rain

European offshore wind enjoys record year in 2023

Danish firm to build huge wind farm off UK

UK unveils massive news windfarm investment by UAE, German firms

PILLAGING PIRATES
China's BYD says Hungary factory to start making cars in 3 years

China overtakes Japan as world's biggest vehicle exporter

Chinese EV giant BYD expects record net profit for 2023

GM bets on e-vehicles with $1.4 bn investment in Brazil

PILLAGING PIRATES
Bipartisan bill addressing lithium-ion battery fires awaits congressional action

Innovative use of femtosecond lasers converts glass into semiconductor

Innovative control of fusion plasma achieved through digital twin technology

Innovative study reveals lithium-ion batteries' potential for hydrogen production

PILLAGING PIRATES
Ukraine to build 4 nuclear reactors as war hits power supply

Czechs snub Westinghouse bid for nuclear reactor

Zeno Power Selects Westinghouse for Key Role in Radioisotope Power System Fabrication

GE Hitachi receives UK government grant for nuclear energy development

PILLAGING PIRATES
UK climate watchdog accuses Sunak of sending 'mixed signals'

Chile's whirlwind energy transition leaves workers stranded

EU rules have failed to cut car C02 emissions: report

French waste group Veolia hungry for lost UK energy

PILLAGING PIRATES
New mayor hopes trees will cool Athens down

China-funded nickel hub stoking deforestation on Indonesia island: report

Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought

Soil fungi may help explain the global gradient in forest diversity

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.