Indian Navy handout
- Indian commandos seized back a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates over the weekend.
- India is not associated with crack special forces — but this operation impressed analysts.
- India has been active in combating the unrest spilling out from the Red Sea crisis.
Indian specialist commando units played a key role in seizing back a cargo ship that'd been hijacked by Somali pirates, giving the country a chance to flex its muscles.
The Malta-flagged cargo vessel, the Ruen, was hijacked in December 2023 near Yemen.
It was the first successful seizure of a vessel by Somali pirates since 2017, and added to the unrest around Somalia and the Red Sea.
Over the weekend, India took the Ruen back.
In a post on X, the Indian Navy said the operation had taken 40 hours and resulted in all 17 hostages being freed and 35 pirates being arrested.
Dramatic footage released by the Indian Navy showed commandos parachuting from a navy plane into the sea near the hijacked vessel.
Analysts say the success of the operation highlights the effectiveness of India's navy units in fighting pirates.
Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, told CNN the incident highlighted the professionalism of the Indian Navy and Delhi's marine commando force, known as MARCOS.
"The Indian Navy itself is a highly trained and disciplined professional force," Schuster said.
"MARCOS' nearly eight months of training is modeled after Britain's SAS. Despite a very intense selection process, only about 10% to 15% of those who enter the training graduate," he said.
The unit has more than 30 years of experience conducting dangerous maritime operations.
It's not the first ani-piracy operation undertaken recently by the MARCOs. India's WION news reported in January that the unit freed 19 Pakistani nationals from a hijacked vessel in the Arabian Sea.
The Diplomat reported that India had recently increased its anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean region in response to increased threats to shipping lanes.
Naval News commented that the complex operation showcased "India's capability of protecting its maritime interests even at such a vast distance from the coast."
The most recent operation was carried out by navy vessels supported by helicopters and aircraft, the navy said.
"The vessel opened fire on the warship, which is taking actions [in accordance with] international law, in self-defense and to counter piracy, with minimal force necessary to neutralize the pirates' threat to shipping and seafarers," it said.
Somali pirate attacks spiked around 2011 but then sharply declined after an international coalition was formed to ensure the security of vessels traveling in the Red Sea. This vital global shipping lane links Europe and Asia via the Suez Canal.
But recently, piracy incidents have increased amid attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen on commercial shipping vessels.
The AFP news wire reported that ships are slowing down while they wait for information on whether it's safe to enter the Red Sea, giving pirates an opportunity to attack the vessels.