Draft:MV Ruen Hijacking

In December 2023, 35 Somali pirates boarded the Bulgarian ship MV Ruen. The ship sent a mayday alert on December 14, 2023. It was shadowed by INS Kochi. Thereafter, the Indian Navy adopted a wait and watch approach.

The ship was spotted again by the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean region in March 2024. INS Kolkata was ordered to intercept it. The Navy launched a surveillance drone near MV Ruen, which was shot down by the pirates. This led to escalation by Indian Navy. In a joint operation, an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster airdropped a team of MARCOS in the operational zone near the MV Ruen, 2600 kilometers from the Indian coast. After 40 hours of operation, INS Kolkata rescued all 17 crew members and captured the 35 hijackers.