Indian Coast Guard ship Sangram

On Sunday the MV Maersk Kensington reported an attempted boarding by pirates while underway off the southern coast of India.  The Indian navy ship Suvarna and Coast Guard ship Sangram responded, intercepting the Iranian fishing trawler Morteza which had been hijacked and was being used as a pirate mother ship.  After a three hour running battle, the Indian forces captured 16 pirates and freed 16 hostages, 12 Iranians and 4 Pakistanis.

Since November the Indian Navy and Coast Guard has been engaged in “Operation Island Watch” near the Lakshadweep islands off India’s southwest coast.  Earlier this month  the Indian Navy’s fast patrol craft Kalpeni captured 61 pirates and freed 13 hostages from a hijacked mother ship in the same area. Overall some 120 pirates have been apprehended under “Operation Island Watch.”

16 Somali pirates caught off  Lakshadweep islands