Indian Navy’s Anti-Piracy Patrol Seizes Arms And Ammunition Off Somalia Coast From A Vessel
December 9, 2018
In an effort to keep its the commitment of the Navy towards ensuring safe seas for Indian, as well as international, seafarers in the Indian Ocean region, particularly the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, INS Sunayna has been deployed on anti piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden since Oct 6.
The Indian Navy has been deploying one ship in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy patrol since October 2008.
In an effort to keep its the commitment of the towards ensuring safe seas for Indian, as well as international, seafarers in the Indian Ocean region, particularly the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, INS Sunayna has been deployed on anti piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden since Oct 6.
The Indian Navy has been deploying one ship in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy patrol since October 2008. The IN ships escort merchant ships through the 490 nautical mile long Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).
On Friday, last week, the ship detected a suspicious fishing vessel, approximately 25 nm off the coast of Somalia, in the vicinity of Socotra Island.
According to the Indian Navy spokesperson Capt DK Sharma, when search started on the ship, it was found that the vessel was engaged in illegal fishing in the area and was also in possession of four high caliber AK-47s and one Light Machine Gun, along with ammunition for these weapons.
The complex relationship between Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and piracy has been acknowledged in United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2383 (2017) and warships deployed in the area are always on the lookout for such illegal activities.
INS Sunayna seized the arms and ammunition from the vessel, under the authority accorded by UNSCR 2383 (2017). The vessel was thoroughly searched and allowed to proceed, after confiscation of the arms and ammunition, to prevent their illegal use later by the crew for piracy related activities.
Courtesy: FE Omline