Indian warship thwarts pirate attack on Greek vessel

An Indian warship has successfully warded off a pirate attack on a Greek merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, where it is on anti-piracy deployment, in coordination with a German warship, the Indian Navy said today.

An Indian warship has successfully warded off a pirate attack on a Greek merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, where it is on anti-piracy deployment, in coordination with a German warship, the Indian Navy said Tuesday.

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The Indian frigate, INS Godavari, was escorting four merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden July 16 (Saturday), when the Greek cargo vessel MV Elinakos sent out a distress call. Soon after, the Indian marine commandos were rushed in aid of the Greek ship, the navy said in a press release here.

An eight-member Somali pirate team had made the attempt on the Greek ship and they were spotted by the commandos on a skiff near the cargo vessel.

The marine commandos on board their speed boats approached the pirate skiff, by which time the sea brigands dumped their arms and ammunition, and other piracy implements into the sea, the release said.

The pirates later sped away, a naval officer said.

The German naval ship Niedersachsen also coordinated with INS Godavari in the operation.

Since its deployment in the Gulf of Aden in May this year, INS Godavari has safely escorted 219 ships of various countries. Last week, it escorted a Pakistani ship, MV Islamabad, with an all-Pakistani crew of 38 in the pirate-infested waters of Gulf of Aden.

India has deployed its warships in the region since 2008 in anti-piracy role and has since escorted 1,665 cargo vessels successfully.