OS35 Hack Foiled by Indian and Chinese Navy
(B2) AAlerted by a distress call from the crew, a combined Indian and Chinese navy operation ended the attack by (Somali) pirates on cargo ship OS35, in the Gulf of Aden on April 8 . This Lebanese freighter, flying the flag of Tuvalu (formerly known as J.S. Comet ou Addu Comet) had left the port of Kelang in Malaysia to go to the port of Aden (in Yemen), and was at the time of the attack near the island of Socotra.
On the way to the Mediterranean
Several Indian ships, the Mumbai, Tarkash, Trishul and Aditya, were nearby, in transit in the Gulf for deployment in the Mediterranean (1). Two of them - INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash - turned away to answer the call and quickly joined the merchant ship the following day (April 9), India's Ministry of Defense said in a statement received by B2.
The crew taking refuge in the "citadel"
The Indian warships were able to establish contact with the captain of the merchant ship who, along with the crew, had locked themselves in a vault inside the ship (using standard "citadel" modus operandi). An Indian Navy helicopter carried out an aerial reconnaissance of the merchant ship at night and at sunrise to ensure that the upper decks of the merchant ship were clear and to determine the location of the pirates, if they were still on board.
No more pirates on board
No suspicious movement was detected. The Indian Navy helicopter then sent a "clear signal" to the crew ensuring that no pirates were visible on the upper decks. Some members of the crew then gradually emerged from the vault and, in turn, carried out a reconnaissance of the ship, noting that the pirates had fled into the night, in a dhow. A boarding party from the nearby Chinese navy vessel boarded the merchant vessel, securing the perimeter. The 19 crew members, all Filipinos are safe. And the ship was able to continue on its way.
(update) Three pirates arrested
According to Voice of Africa - Somalia, only two pirates managed to escape and return home to the town of Alula. Three others, including the famous Abdikarim Salah "Aw Koombe", involved in the hijacking of a dozen ships in recent years, were left behind and then arrested by the Chinese navy.
(NGV)
(1) In particular, they were to join the port of Souda (in Greece which is also a key stopover for NATO ships in the region) as well as the port of Toulon to participate in the joint exercise "Varuna" with the French navy .
