Indian Navy praised for sinking Somali pirates, by Susan Kumar--reporting for Biodun Iginla @ BBC News London in transit from Paris to Minneapolis--in Mum

By: BiodunIginla

Mumbai : India | about 1 month ago

6 3

Images

US Navy handout image of Somali pirates holding crew of Chinese ...

Source: Reuters
Somali pirates are arraigned in the law courts of Kenya's coastal town ...

Source: Reuters
Pirates holding the crew of the Chinese fishing vessel FV Tian Yu 8 ...

Source: Reuters

See All Images

US Navy handout image of Somali pirates holding crew of Chinese ...

by Susan Kumar--reporting for Biodun Iginla @ BBC News London in transit from Paris to Minneapolis--in Mumbai

Search term

Explore the BBC

BBC News Updated every minute of every day One-Minute World News
News Front Page Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East South Asia UK Business Health Science & Environment Technology Entertainment Also in the news ----------------- Video and Audio ----------------- Advertisement Have Your Say In Pictures Country Profiles Special Reports Related BBC sites

Site Version

Languages

Page last updated at 10:46 GMT, Thursday, 20 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version The Indian navy is now patrolling off the Somali coast

An anti-piracy watchdog has welcomed the destruction of a suspected Somali pirate vessel in the Gulf of Aden by an Indian navy warship.

INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it did not stop for investigation and instead opened fire, an Indian navy statement said on Wednesday.

There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.

The latest attack came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates.

The supertanker is now anchored off the Somali coast.

'Heartened'

"If all warships do this, it will be a strong deterrent. But if it's just a rare case, then it won't work," Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, told Associated Press.

Mr Choong said he was heartened by the Tabar's success.

"It's about time that such a forceful action is taken. It's an action that everybody is waiting for," he said.

India is among several countries patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

"The United Nations and international community must decide how to solve this grave problem (of piracy). They must be more forceful in their action," Mr Choong said.

He said that action should have been taken "years back or even last year when piracy was just starting - it's clearly getting worse and out of control".

SOMALIA PIRACY
How sea piracy is hurting India 'I thought pirates would kill me' Somali piracy: Your stories UK hands over pirate suspects

On Wednesday, the Indian navy said the Tabar spotted the pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles (528km) south-west of Salalah in Oman on Tuesday evening.

The navy said the pirates on board were armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers.

When it commanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the navy statement said.

Pirates then fired on the Tabar and the Indians retaliated. There was an explosion and the pirate vessel sank.

Some of the pirates tried to escape on two speedboats.

The Indian sailors gave chase and one boat was later found abandoned, while a second boat escaped.

INS Tabar has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since 23 October, and has escorted 35 ships safely through the "pirate-infested waters", the statement said.

Last week, helicopter-borne Indian marine commandos stopped pirates from boarding and hijacking an Indian merchant vessel.

More than 90 vessels have been attacked by pirates this year.

Piracy off the coast of East Africa and the Gulf of Aden - an area of more than 1m sq miles (2.6m sq km) - is estimated to have cost up to $30m in ransoms this year, a UK think tank has said.

Bookmark with:

What are these?

E-mail this to a friend Printable version Advertisement
SOMALIA CRISIS PIRACY HOT-SPOT
Lavish lifestyle
Pirate ransoms provide easy path to sex, drugs and money
Pirates 'working with Islamists' Pirates pass open water test Rules frustrate anti-piracy efforts Technology sets sights on piracy Life in pirate town Treacherous waters Q&A: Somali piracy Somali 'pirates' seized
ISLAMISTS ON THE RISE Islamist fears Ghost city of Mogadishu Peacekeepers bogged down Face-to-face with the militants Invisible hunger crisis Christians complain of persecution The new Afghanistan?
PERSONAL STORIES
Sick nomad Helpless doctor Displaced wife Rape and death Fleeing father Displaced mother 'Many patients' Fleeing death 'My son died' Somali sister 'City is calm' 'Waiting to die' Somali widow Somali teacher BACKGROUND Ethiopia bogged down in Somalia Timeline: Ethiopia and Somalia Q&A: Somali conflict PROFILES PM Nur Adde Ali M Ghedi President Yusuf Sheikh Aweys Sheikh Ahmed Ex-speaker Adan Somalia
RELATED INTERNET LINKS IMB piracy reporting centre Indian Navy The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
TOP SOUTH ASIA STORIES India praised for sinking pirates
Pakistan protest to US ambassador
Sri Lanka army 'takes rebel area'
| News feeds

MOST POPULAR STORIES NOW

Most popular now, in detail FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS Despair and anger
Gazans report worst ever living conditions Yugo gone
Serbia's iconic car finally runs out of road Kosher crisis
Why US shops are running short of kosher meat Skip to top PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Advertisement Site Links

BBC links