PIRATES GET A TASTE OF INDIA-CHINI BHAI BHAI

JOINT OPS Somali pirates who hijacked a vessel on way to Yemen driven out by warships

Notwithstanding the strain in ties, the navies of India and China carried out a well-coordinated operation to rescue a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden which was hijacked by Somali pirates.

After getting a distress call about the attack on the cargo vessel OS 35, Indian Navy sent warships INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash while the Chinese Navy also responded to the call for help by moving in its missile frigate Yulin.

The merchant ship, with 19 Filipino crew, was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to the port city of Aden in Yemen when it came under attack from Somali pirates.

While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the merchant ship registered in the Pacific island of Tuvalu. The two Indian warships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment.

“In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Navy helicopter provided air cover for the operation. All 19 Filipino crew members are safe," Navy spokesperson Capt D.K. Sharma said.

At the end of the operation, the Chinese Navy thanked its Indian counterpart. The Indian Navy also complimented the Chinese side.

The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from UK's Maritime Trade Organisation UKMTO that keeps a vigil on movement of ships in the region. Pakistani and Italian warships had also responded to calls for help and reached the spot.

The Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel who, along with the crew, had locked themselves in a strong room on board as per standard operating procedure.

An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night and at sunrise to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, who had fled from the ship after warships of India and China moved in.

The operation by navies of India and China comes amid strain in ties between the two Asian giants over a range of issues including the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, China's opposition to India's NSG membership and Beijing blocking India's effort to get JeM chief Masood Azhar declared as global terrorist by the United Nations.