India Deploys Warship to Fight Piracy

India Deploys Warship to Fight Piracy (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - October 18, 2008: India said Oct. 17 it is deploying a warship to protect its merchant vessels in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. The move comes after the MT Stolt Valor, carrying mainly Indian crew was hijacked Sept. 17 by Somali pirates in the gulf. "The government has approved the deployment of one warship with immediate effect to patrol the route followed by Indian flagships between Oman and Yemen," a defense ministry official said. The number of warships could be increased later, he added. The "anti-piracy patrol" vessel will have helicopters and marine commandos onboard, an Oct. 16 ministry statement said.

India Deploys Warship to Fight Piracy

The deployment follows weeks of protests by shipworkers and families of the detained crew who have been demanding rescue efforts for the 22 aboard the MT Stolt Valor. Eighteen crew members are Indians, while there are two Filipinos, a Bangladeshi and a Russian. "The presence of Indian Navy in the area will help to protect our seaborne trade and instill confidence in our seafaring community, as well as function as a deterrent for pirates," the statement said. The Gulf of Aden is a "major strategic choke point in the Indian Ocean region and provides access to the Suez Canal through which the sizeable portion of India's trade flows", the statement noted. Warships from several other nations patrol the Gulf of Aden, one of busiest shipping lanes in the world. The International Maritime Bureau reported more than 24 known attacks off the Somali coast between April and June, and more have been committed in recent months. Many attacks go unreported along Somalia's 3,700-kilometer (2,300-mile) coast where pirates operate high-powered speedboats and carry heavy machine guns and rocket launchers.