Indian Navy’s persistent efforts recently led to some pirates fleeing from a Chinese merchant vessel MV Full City. On May 5 morning, the Navy received an SOS call regarding a pirate attack on Chinese merchant vessel MV Full City about 450 nm (850 kms) West of Karwar. The Indian Navy immediately diverted an Indian Navy aircraft and a Coast Guard ship.

The TU 142 (maritime reconnaissance) aircraft of the Indian Navy, which was on anti-piracy patrol, arrived overhead MV Full City in less than 30 minutes. The aircraft observed a pirate mother ship next to MV Full City and an empty skiff alongside the ship.

The aircraft made a number of low passes over the ship and strongly warned the pirates on radio to leave the merchant ship immediately, stating that Naval warships were closing in the area. The aircraft observed that the warning had the desired effect and the skiff was seen fleeing from the ship along with the pirates and heading for its mother ship nearby.

As there were no surface forces in the immediate vicinity to board MV Full City and sanitise the ship, the Indian Navy aircraft maintained overhead MV Full City for over three hours assisting the rescue operation by coordinating with the NATO Task Force. The TU aircraft finally left the area after four hours, having successfully freed MV Full City from the pirate attack and, ensuring that surface forces were within the range to proceed with the boarding and sanitising operations.

With independent as well as collaborative efforts the Indian maritime forces have reduced the threat of piracy in the Arabian Sea in general and the Eastern Arabian Sea in particular. Reports indicate that there has been a drop of over 80 per cent in the number of piracy attacks in the Eastern Arabian Sea. As a matter of fact, in the month of April 2011, there was not a single reported piracy attack in the Eastern Arabian Sea. This demonstrates the nation’s continued determination to assure safety of merchant shipping in the International Sea Lanes in the Arabian Sea.