By IANS,
New Delhi : An Indian Navy warship, patrolling the piracy-infested Gulf of Aden, has thwarted a piracy attempt on a foreign vessel, a Navy official said Sunday.
“INS Godavari got a distress call at 5:30 p.m. yesterday (Saturday) that a pirate’s skiff was approaching them. Immediately, a helicopter was launched,” said an Indian Navy official, adding that the helicopter fired warning shots at the skiff.
“A team was also sent on board the skiff and all the materials like ladders used to board ships were seized. The seven to eight pirates had thrown all their weapons in the sea and due to lack of any evidence to prosecute them, they were released,” the official said.
This was the second successful anti-piracy operation by INS Godavari that has been deputed in Somalia waters since mid-November. The warship is now on its way back to India and will be replaced by INS Ganga.
The Gulf of Aden is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The Indian Navy has deployed its warships in the region since late last year to thwart piracy attempts.