The Indian navy handed over 35 Somali pirates to the police in Mumbai on Saturday, after 100 days of anti-piracy operation east of the Red Sea, where piracy has resurfaced for the first time in nearly a decade.
Taking advantage of Western forces’ focus on protecting shipping from attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militants, pirates have made or attempted more than 20 hijackings since November, driving up insurance and security costs and adding to a crisis for global shipping companies.
The pirates seized by Indian commandoes face up to life in prison as the first to be prosecuted under India’s 2022 anti-piracy law, which enables the navy to apprehend and arrest pirates on the high seas.
The Somalis were using the Ruen as their “mother ship” to launch attacks on other vessels, navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar told a press conference marking the 100th day of the operations. The commandoes rescued all 17 crew members.
India has responded to 18 incidents, deploying 21 ships and 5,000 personnel in rotation, boarding and investigating over 1,000 vessels, the navy said. Its unprecedented presence has deployed more than a dozen warships some days.
During its mission since mid-December, there have been 57 drone or missile attacks or sightin
