News

On Jan 29, 2025, at 1.05 a.m. the 'Manali' was boarded by one perpetrator in pos. 1° 4.6' N 193° 42.2' E about 2.1 nautical mile north of Pulau Cula, while transiting the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Strait. The crew members were not injured. The intruder stole engine spares.

On Jan 22, 2025, at 2.30 a.m. the 'Delfin' was boarded by five to six perpetrators, armed with gun like objecfs and knives, 6.8 nautical miles west of Pulau Cula in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait (SS), in pos. 1° 3.9' N 103° 36.7' E. The robbers stole generator parts and escaped.

The USS 'Stockdale (DDG-106)' used the destroyer’s five-inch gun to shoot down a Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle, the deputy commander of Central Command said on Jan 30, 2025. Vice Adm. Brad Cooper was aboard the 'Stockdale' in November during a Houthi attack on the ship. When he embarked on the ship , Houthi missiles and drones were a regular sight in the Middle East. The 'Stockdale', along with the USS 'Spruance (DDG-111)' and the Littoral Combat Ship USS 'Indianapolis (LCS-17)', were transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, sailing from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden, when a low-flying Houthi drone came at the ship, and the watch stander clocked it, but it was a late detection. A kill order was given, and the sailors prepared to take it out with the five-inch guns. Cooper did not think they would hit, but the guns fired and the drone went down. The first missile was heading off-course, so the sailors let it go. But the remaining three were problems. Debris from the missile collision caused a Sea Sparrow launch. More American missiles were launched to take care of further Houthi missiles. About 11 minutes later, a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile was detected. Aircraft from 'Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)', the aircraft carrier leading the carrier strike group, shot down the missile. An hour and a half later, F-16s under Spruance’s control, handled a land-attack missile. F-16s also shot down drones that were part of a suicide drone attack. The two destroyers USS 'Frank E. Petersen (DDG-121)' and USS 'Michael Murphy (DDG-112)', protected Abe while its aircraft launched an attack on Houthi infrastructure. Based on USNI News’ timeline of Houthi activity in the Red Sea, it likely happened around Nov. 12 to 13.The Houthis launched more than 140 attacks on merchant vessels and 170 on Navy ships over the 15 months of their campaign in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Navy downed 480 Houthi UAVs in that time. The Houthis have ceased action in the Red Sea due to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, although Houthi leadership said it was monitoring the deal and would resume escalatory action if Israel violated it.

On Jan 26, 2025, at 2.15 a.m. the 'Asian Enterprise' was boarded by two perpetrators, armed with gun like objecfs, 2.7 nautical miles west of Pulau Cula in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait (SS), in pos. 1° 3.3' N 103° 40.2' E. The robbers stole engine spares and escaped.

Wing Commander Akshay Saxena of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for his exemplary bravery in a high-risk anti-piracy operation and rescuing the 'Ruen' from Somali pirates. On Dec 14, 2023, the pirates hijacked the vessel about 380 nautical miles east of Socotra Island, in the Arabian Sea. They took 17 crew members hostage and sailed the vessel towards the Somali coast, where they began negotiations with the shipowner. However, instead of anchoring off Somalia, the pirates decided to set sail again, likely intending to use the 'Ruen' as a mother ship for launching attacks on other vessels in the Indian Ocean. On March 15, 2024, an Indian Navy long-range maritime patrol intercepted the ship about 260 nautical miles east of Somalia. The Indian Warships INS 'Kolkata' and INS 'Subhadra' were positioned alongside the hijacked vessel. In response, the pirates opened fire on the warships and shot down one of 'Kolkata'’s surveillance drones. The Indian military then quickly deployed a team of 18 marine commandos (Marcos) and an IAF C-17 transport aircraft for a precision airdrop mission. Wing Commander Akshay Saxena, as the pilot of the C-17, led the operation that involved the insertion of the commandos into the sea near the 'Ruen'. This risky operation required Saxena to navigate through a third country’s airspace for nearly four hours without authorisation and in complete secrecy. Saxena flew the C-17 at a low level, turning off all the aircraft’s communication systems to avoid detection. As they approached the drop zone, the location was changed, requiring the crew to adapt quickly. Despite the change, Saxena executed the airdrop smoothly, dropping the 18 commandos and their inflatable boats into the water near the 'Ruen'. The commandos boarded the vessel, confronted 35 pirates aboard, and forced them to stand down and surrender. The Indian Ministry of Defense commended Saxena for his “flawless execution of an extremely gruelling mission” and for displaying “exceptional courage, dynamic leadership, outstanding professionalism, and steadfast determination.” He maintained situational awareness during the operation, which lasted for over 10 hours. The rescue of the 'Ruen' also marked the first-ever insertion of marine commandos via airdrop on the high seas, proving India’s readiness to handle piracy threats in distant waters. The Indian Navy has also recommended Lieutenant Commander Sourabh Malik for a gallantry award. Malik and his Commando squad carried out an opposed boarding of the fishing vessel 'Omari' on Feb 2, 2024. Despite the hijackers’ attempts to stop the boarding with heavy and constant small arms fire, they captured seven armed pirates and freed 19 fishermen. Report with photos: https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/iaf-pilot-honoured-for-10-hour-mission-to-rescue-hijacked-ship-from-somali-pirates/