Next to Lakshadweep,Somali pirates capture Bangla ship

The attack came even as a multi-ship task force of the Indian Navy was carrying out search operations in the Arabian Sea for pirate mother vessels.

In a first strike this close to India,suspected Somali pirates captured a Bangaldeshi merchant ship on Sunday afternoon barely 70 nautical miles off the Lakshadweep Islands. The attack came even as a multi-ship task force of the Indian Navy was carrying out search operations in the Arabian Sea for pirate mother vessels.

The MV Jahan Moni,a Bangladeshi-flagged ship,was on its way to Europe with 25 crew members and 41,000 tonnes of nickel ore on board. The pirates are believed to be now steering the ship towards Somalia.

The pirates struck less than 70 nautical miles west of Minicoy Island,within Indias extended Exclusive Economic Zone EEZ,taking authorities by surprise. Reports indicated that the ship was chased by pirates for more than an hour near the Indian islands before it was captured.

The International Maritime Bureaus IMB piracy centre has reported that six armed pirates captured the ship. A merchant vessel was reported hijacked by six armed pirates and 26 crew members were taken hostage. Further report awaited, the IMB report reads. The location of the attack is listed as around 67 nautical miles west of Minicoy Island.

What is more embarrassing for India is that the attack took place at a time when an Indian Navy task force comprising multiple warships and reconnaissance aircraft was carrying out a comprehensive search operation in the Arabian Sea for pirate mother vessels. The special operations were launched following a spurt in piracy attempts in the Eastern part of the Arabian Sea,some as close as 350 nautical miles off the Indian coast.

Indian Navy officers believe Somali pirates may be using a hijacked ship as a mother vessel to carry out attacks so far from the well patrolled Gulf of Aden. Reports were also received about MT Polar,a Panama-flagged Tanker hijacked on October 30,being in the area and acting as a possible mother ship, a Navy spokesperson said.

The Indian Navy has incidentally been conducting regular anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since October 2008 as part of an international effort to keep sea lanes secure in the region.

Story continues below this ad

While this is the first pirate attack off the Lakshadweep islands,there have been a series of attempts off the Mumbai coast that have been thwarted.

However,another boat with Somali nationals had been captured in the same waters 60 nautical miles off Minicoy earlier this year. As reported by The Indian Express in May,while no arms and ammunition were discovered on board the ship that had eight Somalians,details from its global positioning system GPS indicated that its location on five occasions coincided with a piracy incident.