17 de março de 2024

A marinha indiana libertou no sábado o navio de carga MV Ruen sequestrado na região de Puntland, na Somália, após um impasse e tiroteio de 24 horas, e deteve 35 piratas, segundo o ministro dos Portos de Puntland, Ahmed Yasin Salah. A tripulação está ilesa.

Os piratas – que supostamente sequestraram o navio graneleiro de bandeira maltesa em 14 de dezembro – trocaram tiros pesados ​​com a marinha indiana na sexta-feira.

“The Indian navy successfully conducted the operation, which has been going on since last night. The navy captured 35 pirates and released the MV Ruen ship, and its crew are safe,” Salah said.

“We received the information regarding the gunfight Friday afternoon. Once we followed up with our reliable sources, we were told that the Indian navy engaged in a gunfight with the Somali pirates.”

In an interview with VOA Somali, Salah said the pirates on the Ruen had been sailing back and forth across the Somali coast for months, and that the Indians intercepted them Friday, as they approached another pirate-held ship the MV Abdullah.

It was not immediately clear if the Somali pirates were using the hijacked ship MV Ruen to take over the Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship, MV Abdullah.

The MV Abdullah was sailing from Mozambique’s capital Maputo to the United Arab Emirates with a cargo of 55,000 tons of coal when Somali pirates attacked and seized it on the evening of March 12, taking 23 of its crew members hostage.