On March 15, 2024, the Indian destroyer INS Kolkata intercepted the Maltese bulk carrier Ruen, which had been hijacked on December 14, 2023, by a group of Somali pirates. An operation was launched from the military ship, deploying a helicopter with a commando team that boarded the Ruen, freeing the 17 crew members (none of whom were injured) and capturing the 35 pirates found on board. The merchant vessel had been anchored off the coast of Somalia for three months, but then set sail, presumably because the pirates intended to use it for further attacks.
The military action, supported by another Indian naval ship, the INS Subhadra, saw the pirates attempt to resist before ultimately surrendering. The merchant vessel Abdullah, with its 23 crew members, remains in the hands of Somali pirates. It was captured on March 12, 2024, approximately 690 miles east of Mogadishu and is now anchored off Somalia, near where the Ruen was anchored. The liberation of the latter was coordinated by the European mission Atalanta EUNAVFOR.
According to EUNAVFOR, at least three pirate groups operate off the Somali coast, and some have ventured as far as the Indian Ocean, a thousand miles from Somalia. The Indian Navy has already taken action against Somali pirates this year, intervening after a group boarded the cargo ship Lila Norfolk. In that instance, the pirates fled upon the arrival of the military unit.
