Operation Sankalp: Bharatiya Navy resolutely combats the menace of piracy

On March 15, 2024, Indian Navy warships successfully intercepted a pirated ship, marking a significant step in combating piracy on the high seas. However, she met with resistance as the pirate ship opened fire on her warship, INS Kolkata. Indian Navy had closely monitored said pirate ship since her seizure in December 2023.

The pirated ship, which escaped into Somalian waters, was closely tracked, culminating in a daring rescue effort, “Operation Sankalp”, with the resultant freedom of 17 hostage crew members and the surrender of 35 Somali pirates. It has demonstrated how India has developed special force capabilities at/on par with some of the world’s best and won accolades from defence experts around the World.

Indian Navy responded with a measured force to neutralise pirate threat. Her primary objective was to affect the safe release of MV Ruen and civilians on board

Malta Flagged Motor Vessel (MV) Ruen left Gwangyang Port, South Korea, in the first week of December 2023, with a cargo of approximately 37,800 tonnes of metals worth over one point three Million Dollars. As speed boats carrying Somali Pirates bore down on her position in the Western Indian Ocean, the crew of a Bulk Carrier sent out a distress signal and called an emergency hotline. But no one could reach them in time, and pirates took control of that ship. A week later, MV Ruen was anchored off the Coastal Area in the North Eastern Puntland Province of Somalia, where it remained for over three months till she was made to venture out at the high seas and subsequently rescued by the Indian Navy.

The loss of MV Ruen to pirates was perceived/ seen as a fresh resurgence of piracy on the high seas. It is reliably learned that no ransom payment has been made, but negotiations about a payoff in the millions of dollars to release MV Ruen were ongoing. Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria and the Directors of the company managing MV Ruen, did not comment on ransom negotiations. Still, both praised and were grateful to the Indian Navy for the safe return of their seamen.

Waterways off Somalia include some of the Busiest Shipping Lanes in the World. Each year, an estimated 20,000 ships/Vessels, carrying everything from furniture and apparel to grains and fuel, pass through the Gulf of Aden on their way to and from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, which is the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia. It was here that Somali Pirates attacked/looted 486 merchant ships and held hundreds of hostages to date.

The estimated cost of goods and ransom is more than nine billion dollars. To date, these raids are piling risks and costs onto shipping companies, who are also now facing repeated drone and missile strikes by the Houthi Militia of Yemen in the Red Sea/ other nearby waters.

Somali Pirates, travelling in small, powered boats, clambered aboard MV Ruen, firing automatic weapons and taking over the ship without any resistance. The crew was damn scared, and two armed guards were helplessly overwhelmed by Pirates. It was a successful hijack executed on December 14, 2023. When pirates were clambering on board, all crew members, including the captain, locked themselves up in the ship’s citadel.

Captain immediately sent “Save Our Soul Alert” to the Joint Operation Centre in Atlanta, after which a Spanish frigate Victoria was directed to close into MV Ruen to get Information, plan/evaluate future possible actions and coordinate with Somali/ Regional Security Partners. By the same afternoon, Pirates broke into citadel and took all crew as hostage.

On December 15, 2023, an Indian Maritime Patrol Aircraft spotted MV Ruen and established radio Contact with the crew. The crew members were individuals hailing from Angola, Bulgaria, and Myanmar.

On December 16, 2023, the Japanese Navy ship Akebono, a member of Task Force 151 of Combined Maritime Forces of the European Union and INS Kochi of the Indian Navy, joined frigate Victoria. Since then, UAV scan eagles in Somali Territorial Waters have observed MV Ruen under shadow. The pirate crew moved MV Ruen to the high seas in the first week of March 24. They were/intended to use her as a mothership/launch pad to commit piracy at high sea.

The Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region, IFCIOR, of the Indian Navy is a regional centre for the maritime domain. Throughout, it closely monitored the situation and continuously coordinated with stakeholders. True to her role in the region, the Indian Navy has been carrying out extensive surveillance, including monitoring traffic in areas of interest.

After analysing the information in hand, the Indian Navy could track the movement pattern of MV Ruen. The Navy had directed her Stealth Destroyer, INS Kolkata, to take due action at the appropriate time. She intercepted MV Ruen in the early hours of March 15, 2024, at 260 NM east of Somalia and 1400 NM off the Indian Coast. She stopped pirated ship with Calibrated Action Drills. In a short while, the Destroyer was ably augmented by a Patrol vessel, INS Subhadra, HALE Naval drone, P8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft and MARCOS, Indian Naval Commandos.

INS Kolkata launched/sent her Spotter Multicopter Drone to get additional information. It is a Surveillance Drone indigenously manufactured by Sagar Defence Engineers Ltd, which can carry 130 kg of payload at a speed of 22 NM per hour and a range of 84 NM. Indian Navy has 30 such drones, and another 60 are expected to join her Fleet by the end of 2024/early 25. This Infantry Tech Spotter Drone confirmed the presence of armed pirates aboard MV Ruen. After closing in with MV Ruen, INS Kolkata undertook actions to force pirates onto the negotiating tables while keeping Spotter Surveillance constantly on.

Initially, pirates refused to participate, audaciously shot down Spotter Drone and fired at INS Kolkata with rockets and machine guns. That was when the Indian Navy decided to undertake tough measures. This was because the Indian Navy always endeavours to ensure the Safety and Security of Mariners in the Indian Ocean Region.

Indian Navy responded with a measured force to neutralise pirate threat while minimising collateral Damage. Her primary objective was to affect the safe release of MV Ruen and civilians on board. By International Laws of Sea, INS Kolkata disabled the steering system and navigational aids of MV Ruen. Then she fired warning shots with her 76 mm SRGM Ship and helicopter machine guns to force the pirate ship to stop. The fire was near/close to the hijacked ship and not on her/pirates in control. In turn, pirates used crew members of MV Ruen as human shields to save themselves from incoming fire.

In response to grave threat Looming on the ship and her crew, anti-piracy operation by INS Kolkata was augmented by the deployment of a patrol ship, INS Subhadra, in the early hours of March 15, 2024. Indian Air Force was also roped in the same afternoon for the air dropping of Indian Marine Commandos, MARCOS, by C-17 Hercules Transport Aircraft. In addition, MV Ruen was kept under surveillance by MQ 9A High altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft and P 81 Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft.

Indian Navy decided to press in services of her MARCOS for swift deployment to secure MV Ruen. MARCOS are instrumental in successfully conducting complex maritime operations due to their specialised training and expertise, which ensure the safety and security of Indian maritime interests. In a remarkable display of jointness and integration, IAF C-17 Aircraft executed a Precision Airborne Drop of two Combat Rubberised Raiding Crafts (CRRC), carrying two teams of 11 MARCOS each, simultaneously paradropping nine commandos onto a pirated ship.

She flew non-stop for almost 10 hours till she covered 2600 km off the Indian Coast to reach the close vicinity of the pirate ship. While INS Kolkata and Subhadra kept MV Ruen under watch, rubberised boats carrying 22 Naval Commandos were slithered down/dropped from C-17 Air craft, precisely 1000 meters from MV Ruen. Commandos steered the boats silently to the pirated ship and swiftly clambered aboard, surprising the pirates.

This was augmented by nine paradropped commandos, thus making a simultaneous move from Air and Sea. Their activities were so swift and deadly that they just had to fire a few shots at the pirates, not to kill them but to make them surrender. Their gruesome gear and sheer number scared the Pirates out of their wits.

Operation Sankalp was over in just 40 hours, resulting in the surrender of 35 Pirates and the freeing of 17 Crew. MV Ruen was sanitised for Illegal Arms, Ammunition and Contraband. Indian Navy used minimum Force of direct/ indirect fire from battleships and physical Intervention by commandos. Fire from battleships and commando operations was so swift and accurate that there was no Collateral Damage to the ship or her contents and no casualties.

After MV Ruen was brought to Indian Port by towing, the pirates were handed over to civil authorities on March 22, and her seaworthiness was assessed on March 22-25, 2024. Capt. Sharad Sinsunwal, Skipper of INS Kolkata and his crew neutralised/captured Somali Pirates in a daring operation on the High seas. It brought Worldwide recognition to the Indian Armed Forces.INS Kolkata was awarded an “On the spot Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Citation”.

The successful rescue of MV Ruen would be a pivotal moment for the piracy situation in current incidences of hijacks. This situation resulted from removing the “High-Risk Area” designation for the Indian Ocean in 2023. High-Risk Area was introduced in 2010 during the peak of the Somalian piracy threats.