Indian Navy's INS Kolkata Rescues Hijacked MV Ruen, Makes 35 Somali Pirates Surrender

The Indian Navy announced on Saturday that its warship INS Kolkata has rescued the hijacked ship MV Ruen and freed the crew that were held hostage. In a statment released on X, formally known as Twitter, the Indian Navy mentioned that INS Kolkata “cornered and coerced” all the 35 pirates to surrender in an operation that lasted for 40 hours. This led to the end of a three-month-long takeover of the bulk carrier MV Ruen. The Bulgarian-owned vessel was hijacked in December 2023 by the Somali pirates operating in the region. This is the first time since 2017 that any cargo vessel has been successfully boarded by Somali pirates.

“#INSKolkata, in the last 40 hours, through concerted actions successfully cornered and coerced all 35 Pirates to surrender & ensured safe evacuation of 17 crew members in the evening today #16Mar 24 from the pirate vessel without any injury,” the Indian Navy wrote on X. “#INSKolkata had carried out the interception of the Pirate Ship Ruen almost 1400 nm (2600km) from the Indian Coast, and forced the pirate ship to stop through calibrated actions which were augmented by #INSSubhadra, HALE RPA, P8I maritime patrol aircraft & #MARCOS PRAHARs air-dropped by C-17 aircraft. The vessel has also been sanitised for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition and contraband,” the statement further reads. 

How it all started?

The Indian Navy first intercepted the MV Ruen on Friday and noted that the pirates opened fire on the warship. “#IndianNavy thwarts designs of Somali pirates to hijack ships plying through the region by intercepting ex-MV Ruen,” the Navy wrote on X. "The vessel was intercepted by the #IndianNavy warship on #15Mar. The vessel opened fire on the warship, which was taking actions under international law, in self-defence & to counter piracy, with minimal force necessary to neutralise the pirates’ threat to shipping and seafarers. The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender & release the vessel & any civilians they may be held against their will," they furthered. After the rescue mission, the Navy assured that none of the crew members were injured during the operation. 

The Navy monitored the MV Ruen since it was seized by Somali pirates 380 nautical miles east of the Yemeni island of Socotra. After Hijacking the ship, the pirate released one injured Bulgarian sailor into the care of the Indian navy and took the vessel along with its remaining 17 crew members to Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland. 

Defense Minister and Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Laud the efforts

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to X to congratulate everyone who was involved in the operation. “The @indiannavy continues to ensure the safety and security of the Mariners in the Indian Ocean Region,” Singh wrote on X. “I congratulate the Indian Navy and the brave crew onboard the ships and aircraft, including MARCOs, for their determined & decisive actions,” he furthered. 

Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s foreign ministry said that it was seeking the seeking the “speedy return” of seven rescued nationals. The other crew were nine Burmese and one Angolan. The Bulgarian owner of the vessel Navibulgar also hailed Ruen’s release as “a major success not only for us but for the entire global maritime community … The resolution of this case proves that the security of commercial shipping will not be compromised".