Indian Navy and International Anti-Piracy Ops

[Nayak]

Somalians are happy with piracy. It is lucrative and non-risky for them and provides maximum ROI. UN and all that BS will not help. The entire country is phucked up beyond fubar.

The population in Somalia is totally split across ethnic lines and there is no one group strong enough to emerge as a leader. All the warlords are equally awash with sophisticated weapons.

As it is the citizens are not crying out for UN intervention.

[kapilrdave]

hey,
Alright somali's are in bad situation.
But is that our doing?
Why we pay the price.
Forget about what world or UN does, our only duty is to protect our civilians and that's what IN is for.
Do whatever it takes to teach them a lesson.

BTW accept they are smart enough to know that the whole world is after them.
But in what sense that means that we should not do that?
If we don't respond harshly, wouldn't that be a very pleasant surprise for them.
Resulting them to go deeper to the sea.

[Shivani]

This pirate issue is a very serious threat. I can see normal nations hiring these pirates as surrogates to pursue diplomatic goals via high sea antics.

Few years from now, we'll find certain pattern in the pirate hijackings :

• The number of ships being hijacked has increased dramatically.
• Most of the hijacked ships belong to Indian operators, or
• The hijacked ships regularly dock at Indian ports.

What little we export will become uncompetetive compared to other regional producers and crush the trade.

Then our prime minister will wake up (hopefully from a peaceful sleep) and plead to US that there is no such thing as 'good pirates' and 'bad pirates', while the rest of the world lectures us not to destabalize an important energy route.

But Burma will support us. An ex-ambassador to Chile will praise Burma for standing by us in these difficult times.

Indian media will agree with this assesment and blame greedy Indians who pursue international trade as the source of the problem, not the pirates. It is the unfair world order that makes criminals out of saints.

Useful idiots will popup and pen epic accounts of the Somali hardships in newspapers. Generous praise will heaped on Africans who have built entire new cities on the coastline through "hard work".

This country has inherited problems because things that should have been done weren't. All because some idiot was always their to cry loudly:

• "We can't!"
• "We shouldn't!"

Putting guns and crew on ships is not the solution. If you put a marksman (of questionable efficacy) on each ship the pirates will respond with 20mm guns. The idea of being at the receiving end of 20mm and larger ammunition does not sound appealing when you are on a tanker or LNG carrier.

There is no point in having running gun battles with pirates. No point in arresting them. No need to. Let France et al do their cute policing actions. Let them provide free life time accomodations to pirates.

We have to go our own way. Only solution is to carpet bomb (as much as we can with limited IAF and IN resources) and eliminate the villages and townships that support the pirates. This piracy present bigger threat to our future than Pakistani Navy. Kill the devil while it is still manageable.

[kapilrdave]

We have to go our own way. Only solution is to carpet bomb (as much as we can with limited IAF and IN resources) and eliminate the villages and townships that support the pirates. This piracy present bigger threat to our future than Pakistani Navy. Kill the devil while it is still manageable.

Hey hey,
just chill.

It's not that big issue SPECIFICALLY FOR INDIA.

All we need to do is just to do what we actually need to.
Blow them out who challenges our ships in whatever way.

But leave a single pirate alive to let others know that it was an INDIAN SHIP that they took on.

[Shivani]

Owner of hijacked supertanker working to free crew

By BARBARA SURK – 29 minutes ago

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The owner of a Saudi oil supertanker hijacked by Somali pirates over the weekend said the company is working to win the release of the crew and vessel, which is carrying about $100 million in cargo.

Dubai-based Vela International Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of Saudi oil company Aramco, said in a statement Monday that company response teams have been created. The MV Sirius Star is the largest ship ever taken by Somali pirates, according to the U.S. Navy.

The statement gave no further details. Employees who answered the phone said no one was immediately available to comment and that Vela executives were meeting to discuss the situation. They declined to give their names.

The Navy said the brand-new MV Sirius Star, with a crew of 25, was seized far off the coast of Kenya on Saturday and the bandits were taking the ship to a Somali port known as a hub of pirate activity. It announced the hijacking on Monday when it first received the information.

The statement posted on Vela's Web site late Monday said the ship was hijacked Sunday. The discrepancy could not immediately be explained.

Attacks by Somali pirates have surged this year as bandits have become bolder, better armed and capable of operating hundreds of miles from shore.

A coalition of warships from eight nations and from NATO and the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet is patrolling a critical zone in the Gulf of Aden leading to and from the Suez Canal. The gulf is where most of the more than 80 attacks this year have taken place.

The Saudi tanker, however, was seized far to the south of the patrolled zone, about 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, according to the U.S. Navy.

Maritime security experts said they have tracked a southward spread in piracy over the last several weeks into a vast area of the Indian Ocean, noting with alarm that the area would be almost impossible to patrol.

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet said Tuesday it was monitoring the situation but did not expect to send warships to surround the vessel as it has done with a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and other weaponry the was seized off the Somali coast on Sept. 25 and remains in pirate hands.

"I don't anticipate any U.S. ships on station," said Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the 5th Fleet, speaking from its headquarters in Bahrain. He would not elaborate on how the Navy was watching the hijacked tanker.

"We remain deeply concerned because this attack represents a fundamental change in pirates' ability to hijack bigger vessels farther out at sea," he said.

The Sirius Star is the "largest pirated vessel in the region" to date, Christensen said.

At 1,080 feet, the Sirius Star is the length of an aircraft carrier and can carry about 2 million barrels of oil.

"We are very concerned that a (ship) of this size has been hijacked. We have safety concerns, security concerns, environmental concerns," said Noel Choong, the head of the International Maritime Bureau's regional piracy center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"Of course, as long as there is no firm deterrent, pirates will continue to attack. The risk is low and returns are extremely high. You will see more and more of such attacks," he told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Somali fishermen and witnesses on shore said the pirates apparently anchored the ship last night in Harardhere, a pirate stronghold some 265 miles by land from Eyl.

The Saudi tanker was just a few miles from shore Tuesday morning, said Abdinur Haji, a fisherman.

"As usual, I woke up at 3 a.m. and headed for the sea to fish, but I saw a very, very large ship anchored less than three miles off the shore," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

He said two small boats floated out to the ship and 18 men — presumably other pirates — climbed aboard with ropes woven into a ladder.

"I have been fishing here for three decades, but I have never seen a ship as big as this one," he said. "There are dozens of spectators on shore trying to catch a glimpse of the large ship, which they can see with their naked eyes."

Vela, the ship's owner and operator, says it is one of the largest crude oil tanker companies in the world.

Including the Sirius Star, Vela owns and operates a fleet of 19 vessels classed as Very Large Crude Oil Carriers and five product tankers of various sizes. It transports supplies primarily between the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to the company's Web site.

The Sirius Star was sailing under a Liberian flag and its crew includes citizens of Croatia, Britain, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia. A British Foreign Office spokesman said there were at least two British nationals on board.

Associated Press Writer Mohamed Olad Hassan contributed to this report from Mogadishu, Somalia.

They'll get a huge ransom.

[Avid]

Folks - could you take the political/policy discussion on piracy to the other forum

[Shivani]

Folks - could you take the political/policy discussion on piracy to the other forum

Which topic would you recommend? There is no "The Pirates of Somalia" topic in any other forum. I don't know where else to put all these thoughts and news.

[Avid]

Folks - could you take the political/policy discussion on piracy to the other forum

Which topic would you recommend? There is no "The Pirates of Somalia" topic in any other forum. I don't know where else to put all these thoughts and news.

You can start an appropriate policy thread in: "Strategic Issues & International Relations Forum" [the other forum on BR]

This one is the Military Issues and History Forum - public policy, international developments, crime/punishment, etc. belong in the other forum.

[Jayram]

** Breaking news **
Headline Today here in the US is reporting INS Tabar was attacked by a speed boat last night and it retaliated sinking both the speed boat and the mothership the speed boat presumably came from. The newsperson was speculating that this attack on INS Tabar was in retaliation to last weeks intervention by the Indian Navy. Looks like the Somalian Pirates bit more a little more that they could handle this time.
Any desh vasis confirm this news?
- Jayram

[sunilUpa]

** Breaking news **
Headline Today here in the US is reporting INS Tabar was attacked by a speed boat last night and it retaliated sinking both the speed boat and the mothership the speed boat presumably came from. The newsperson was speculating that this attack on INS Tabar was in retaliation to last weeks intervention by the Indian Navy. Looks like the Somalian Pirates bit more a little more that they could handle this time.
Any desh vasis confirm this news?
- Jayram

Indian Navy sinks pirate vessel off Somali coast

Gulf of Aden, Nov 19: Within days of preventing the hijack of an Indian merchant vessel, Indian Navy’s warship INS Tabar, after exchange of fire, sank a pirate vessel off the Somali coast.

According to reports, the Indian Navy acted definitively after a group of pirate vessels tried to encircle the Indian warship with the motive to attack it. After a brief exchange of light fire, the warship hit the pirate vessel leading to its sinking. The incident happened at around 9.45 pm Tuesday night. No casualities were reported from the Indian side.

Indian Navy strikes at heart of pirate operations

Even as the world's largest supertanker the Sirius Star continues to be in the grip of Pirates of the coast of Somalia. The Indian Navy appears to have taken the lead in the fight aagainst pirates, shortly after a successful operation against Pirates last week -- the Indian Navy warship INS Tabar sank a Somalian Pirate ship of the Gulf of Aden. At about 10 PM last night the Indian Navy spotted a pirate ship, The Navy challenged the pirate ship which had several speed boats accompanying it.

The Pirate ship tried to ram the Tabar at which point the Tabar opened fire. No casualties have been reported on the Indian side.

[Nayak]

INS Tabar sinks pirate ship in Gulf of Aden

http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index ... 0&Itemid=1

INS Tabar sinks pirate ship in Gulf of Aden
An Indian warship from the navy's western naval command was reportedly involved in a crossfire with a pirate vessel in the Gulf of Aden.

INS Tabar fired AK-630 deck guns at the pirates on Tuesday night in an effort to repulse an attack by the pirates.

According to unconfirmed reports, the pirate ship was sunk in the cross fire. The Indian Navy is yet to confirm the reports of pirate ship sinking.

[Nayak]

From wikipedia -

The AK-630 is a Russian fully automatic naval six-barreled 30 mm Gatling gun. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by radar and television detection and tracking. The system's primary purpose is defense against anti-ship missiles, and other precision guided weapons. However it can also be employed against fixed/rotary wing aircraft, ships and other small craft, coastal targets, and floating mines.

It can be described as the Russian counterpart to the United States Phalanx CIWS.

The complete weapon system is called A-213-Vympel-A, which comprises the AK-630M Gun Mount, MR-123-02 Fire Control Radar System, and SP-521 Electrical-Optical Tracker. A single MP-123 radar system can simultaneously control two guns, either two 30 mm gun mounts, or two 57 mm gun mounts, or one 30 mm gun and one 57 mm gun. The radar system can engage aerial and surface targets at 4 km and 5 km respectively. The electro-optical system can detect MiG-21 sized aerial target 7 km away while torpedo boat sized surface targets can be detected at 70 km away. Features include surveillance and tracking modes, high jamming immunity, laser range finder and TV optical sight. It is in operation on almost all Russian Navy ships from fast attack boats to the Kirov Battlecruiser.

The gun mount is fully automated, however it can be remotely controlled by an operator from either the control console or via a remotely mounted gunsight. It has a higher firing rate than both the Goalkeeper and Phalanx (Block 1 and older) CIWS systems. Combined with the fact that they are often mounted in pairs, with as many as 4 pairs mounted on the larger ships, providing Russian ships with an effective point defence system. However like all Gatling gun-based CIWS they suffer from short engagement times and the need for multiple volleys to effectively eradicate a threat.

I wish IN could video-tape it and releases it on youtube. Massive psy-ops value.

[Nayak]

Could they have mistaken it for a civvie and a tempting target ?

[prashanth]

Could they have mistaken it for a civvie and a tempting target ?

Probably yes, considering it was 10 pm at night. they must have boozed a lot before their adventure.

[Nayak]

I don't think this was a retaliation against Tabar's operations. The pirates may have run into Tabar's patrol route inadvertently. The radar would have picked up the pirates presence and upon challenge by the Tabar this incident has taken place.

Similar to a situation of couple of thieves caught by a patrol car and a shoot out occurs.

Too bad they are no match for the firepower of our baby.

[Raja Bose]

Could they have mistaken it for a civvie and a tempting target ?

Possible...chewing khat for 6 hours can do that to you...now these somali beloved are also enjoying august company of other jehadis with their 72 spoors.

[vavinash]

Tabar does not carry Ak-630 but kashtan-M right? Why does the zee news say it carries Brahmos?
http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-11-1 ... 9news.html

I hope GOI allows IN to base 3-4 ships in oman/qatar to effectively eliminate the vermins. I reiterate 30 million somalis are no loss to mankind.

[Jayram]

Could they have mistaken it for a civvie and a tempting target ?

Possible...chewing khat for 6 hours can do that to you...now these somali beloved are also enjoying august company of other jehadis with their 72 spoors.

Does not compute... How many merchant ships have guns poking out and ride low low in the water in an area bristling with half the worlds navy?
No the accedental contact seems more plausible..
-- Jayram

[Kakarat]

I think they have misprinted A-190 as AK-630

[Raja Bose]

Well after you chewed khat for 6 hours its hard to figure out which end one pees from...leave alone reasoning what is a merchantman doing with 46 guns..I was just kidding!

I think the pirates might have been trying to do a USS Cole on INS Tabar.

[uddu]

Whether it was a mistake or deliberate attempt, the Navy must always hit and sink the pirates whenever they see them. This applies not just to the Indian Navy but for all the navies operating in the region. If required lob few shells into their base. Make piracy a loss making business and there will be no piracy.

[Kakarat]

Anti Piracy Action at High Seas - PIB
INS Tabar, which is currently in the Gulf of Aden for Anti-Piracy Surveillance and Patrol Operations, encountered a pirate vessel, 285 NM South West of Salalah (Oman) on the evening of 18 Nov 08, with two speed boats in tow. This vessel was similar in description to the 'Mother Vessel' mentioned in various Piracy bulletins.

INS Tabar closed the vessel and asked her to stop for investigation. On repeated calls, the vessel's threatening response was that she would blow up the Naval Warship if it closed her. Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers. The vessel continued its threatening calls and subsequently fired upon INS Tabar.

On being fired upon, INS Tabar retaliated in self defence and opened fire on the mother vessel. As a result of the firing by INS Tabar, fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored on the vessel. Almost simultaneously, two speed boats were observed breaking off to escape. The ship chased the first boat which was later found abandoned. The other boat made good its escape into darkness.

INS Tabar is on Anti-Piracy Mission in the Gulf of Aden since 02 Nov 08. The operation is being controlled by Western Naval Command since mid Oct 08. During this period, she has successfully escorted approximately 35 ships, including a number of foreign flagged vessels, safely during their transit through pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden and also prevented two hijacking attempts on 11 Nov 08. The Indian Navy has been patrolling the piracy infested water in keeping with the Government guidelines to protect our sea borne trade, instill confidence in our sea faring community as well as function as a deterrent for pirates.

[Raja Bose]

In light of current incident, perhaps admins might consider removing the '(sort of)' from the thread title.

[Mihir.D]

Anti Piracy Action at High Seas - PIB
INS Tabar, which is currently in the Gulf of Aden for Anti-Piracy Surveillance and Patrol Operations, encountered a pirate vessel, 285 NM South West of Salalah (Oman) on the evening of 18 Nov 08, with two speed boats in tow. This vessel was similar in description to the 'Mother Vessel' mentioned in various Piracy bulletins.

Is this the first case of armed action against the pirates in the Gulf Of Aden ? Where any pirate ships sunk before by any other navy ?

[Kartik]

perhaps what is needed here is a massive strike at the main harbour from where these pirate ships are originating..what would've been great was to have had the INS Viraat launching its SHars to take out the scourge at its source..only massive retaliation will do, else there are a lot of innocent merchant men's lives in danger, the danger to business aside.

[Nikhil T]

Anti Piracy Action at High Seas - PIB
On being fired upon, INS Tabar retaliated in self defence and opened fire on the mother vessel. As a result of the firing by INS Tabar, fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored on the vessel. Almost simultaneously, two speed boats were observed breaking off to escape. The ship chased the first boat which was later found abandoned. The other boat made good its escape into darkness.

One escaped ?? Wasn't Tabar engaging both of them using its two CIWS 30mm guns?

[K Mehta]

Speed boats arent easy targets especially when going in different directions at night. I guess the intent was to take prisoners from the speed boats, to know more about their tactics and base of operations etc.

[niran]

perhaps what is needed here is a massive strike at the main harbour from where these pirate ships are originating..what would've been great was to have had the INS Viraat launching its SHars to take out the scourge at its source..only massive retaliation will do, else there are a lot of innocent merchant men's lives in danger, the danger to business aside.

What was gathered from the captured pirates operating around Mallaca Strait, they have people
on the look out for targets and gather data around the Ports. they use mobile phones to inform
their gang. These Sea based pirates operates from fishing villages spread around the coast.
Very difficult to bomb them.

[SandeepA]

CNN isnt even reporting this.

[karan_mc]

but BBc is

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7736885.stm


India 'sinks Somali pirate ship'

The Indian navy is now patrolling off the Somali coast

An Indian navy warship has destroyed a suspected Somali pirate vessel after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden.

The INS Tabar sunk the pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead, an Indian navy statement said.

There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.

The latest incident came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates and anchored point off the Somali coast.

Vela International, operators of the Sirius Star, told the BBC no demands had yet been received from the pirates. The company also said all the crew were safe.

The biggest tanker ever hijacked, Sirius Star is carrying a cargo of two million barrels - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m (£67m).

Analysts say the pattern of other hijackings suggests a ransom request is likely to follow. Given the value of the tanker and its cargo, that request is likely to be large one, analysts suggest.

Explosions

India is among several countries already patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.


Fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored in the vessel
Indian naval statement

The Indian navy said the Tabar spotted the pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles (528km) south-west of Salalah in Oman on Tuesday evening.

The navy said the pirates on board were armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers.

When it demanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the statement said.

Pirates then fired on the Tabar, and the Indians say they retaliated and that there was an explosion on the pirate vessel, which sank.

"Fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored in the vessel," the Indian navy said.

Some of the pirates tried to escape on two speedboats. The Indian sailors gave chase but one boat was later found abandoned, while a second boat escaped.

The Tabar has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since 23 October, and has escorted 35 ships safely through the "pirate-infested waters", the statement said.

Last week, helicopter-borne Indian marine commandos stopped pirates from boarding and hijacking an Indian merchant vessel.

Ransoms

On Tuesday, a cargo ship and a fishing vessel became the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates this year.


The first vessel, a 25-crew cargo vessel transporting wheat to Iran, was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, while contact was lost with the crew of 12 on the fishing boat.

Piracy off the coast of East Africa and the Gulf of Aden - an area of more than 1m sq miles (2.6m sq km) - is estimated to have cost up to $30m in ransoms this year, a UK think tank has said.

The hijackings account for one-third of all global piracy incidents this year and the situation is getting out of control, according to the International Maritime Board.

The pirates who seized the Sirius Star are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighbouring countries, says the BBC Somali Service's Yusuf Garaad.

Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa, he adds.

Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered continuing civil strife.

Shipping companies are now weighing up the risks of using the short-cut route to Europe via the Suez canal.

However, travelling around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would add several weeks to average journey times and substantially increase the cost of goods for consumers.

[Philip]

I think that a Klub missile strike on Eyl,the pirate stronghold,would be quite in order .A pity that the Viraat is in refit.We could also send a task force comprising of some of our Tarantul missile corvettes along with other warships and expend our old Russian SSMs,which in any case will be replaced with newer missiles.If a motley band of pirates out of Africa have such gall to attack an Indian frigate like the Tabar,it only underscores the urgent need ofr the IN to augment its carriers.Air power at sea is the most potent force of all,as the US has shown with its super-carriers and their aircraft involved in Iraq.The sooner we bargain and clinch the Gorshkov deal the stronger and more capable will the IN be to meet such challenges.

PS:More news.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 186821.ece

Indian Navy sinks pirate mothership during bold stand-off in Gulf of AdenRhys Blakely in Bombay

An Indian navy warship has sunk a Somali pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden, the world's most treacherous waterway, after the bold renegades threatened to attack the frigate.

The incident occurred as pirates claimed to begin negotiations over a ransom for the Saudi super-tanker that was seized near by on Saturday with two Britons aboard. The Sirius Star, which is carrying at least $100 million worth of oil, is the biggest ship ever to be hijacked.

INS Tabar, an Indian frigate dispatched last month to the area to protect the country's merchant fleet, sighted the pirate vessel late on Tuesday. Indian officers said they spotted pirates moving on the deck with rocket propelled grenade launchers and automatic weapons.

"On repeated calls, the vessel's threatening response was that she would blow up the naval warship," the Indian Navy said in a statement.

Pirates demand tanker ransom as two more ships seized
We must defend our high seas
Grain ship seized as pirates hold world to ransom
GRAPHIC: dangerous waters

"INS Tabar retaliated in self defence and opened fire on the mother vessel.

"As a result of the firing by INS Tabar, fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored on the vessel." Two speedboats were seen fleeing the sinking ship.

Since the Sirius Star was captured at least three other ships – one Greek, one Thai and one from Hong Kong – have been seized by Somali pirates.

Today, Al-Jazeera, the Arabic television network, broadcast an audio tape that it said was one of the pirates making a ransom demand for the return of the Sirius Star.

"Negotiators are located on board the ship and on land. Once they have agreed on the ransom, it will be taken in cash to the oil tanker," said the man identified as Farah Abd Jameh. He did not indicate the amount to be paid.

"We assure the safety of the ship that carries the ransom. We will mechanically count the money and we have machines that can detect fake money," he said.

Vela International, the owners of the ship, declined to comment on the report. Seized in the Indian Ocean about 500 miles (800 kilometres) off the coast of Kenya, the Sirius Star is now thought to be anchored at the Somali pirate lair of Harardhere.

The super-tanker has a 25-strong crew -- 19 from the Philippines, two from Britain, two from Poland, one Croatian and one Saudi.

The Gulf of Aden controls access to the Suez Canal, which allows ships to go between Europe to Asia without having to take the longer and more expensive route around the southern tip of Africa. It is a crucially important route for oil tankers. The UN has said that piracy in the area is now out of control.

The German navy said yesterday that one of its frigates had foiled attacks on two ships in the Gulf of Aden, using a helicopter to chase off pirates who fled in their speedboats.

For the pirates who carry out the attacks, the allure is that of riches, the likes of which would be impossible to attain in their poverty-wracked homeland.

In September, Somali hijackers released a Japanese ship and its 21-member crew after a $2 million ransom was paid three months after its capture.

PS:Curious how a few days ago I was enjoying examining a model of the Talwar/Tabar class at a naval museum,where it was proudly mentioned that the Tabar was off Somalia,kicking pirate ass!

[Ujjal]

Just mentioned on CNN Good Morning America.

[Singha]

3800+ articles on google news and counting.

[harbans]

Slide show with pics courtesy US Navy on Rediff..

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/19slid5.htm

Good work IN !!

[Singha]

VOA

India's Navy Destroys Pirate Ship in Gulf of Aden
By Steve Herman
New Delhi
19 November 2008


For the second time in a week, India's navy has repelled pirates in the Gulf of Aden. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi that compared to other navies patrolling the pirate-infested water, India's warships are showing no hesitation in opening fire to thwart hijackings and protect their national interests beyond its shores.

India's navy says one of its stealth frigates destroyed a heavily armed pirate mother ship with two speed boats in tow, about 528 kilometers southwest of the coast of Oman.

It is the second time in a week the Indian navy has clashed with suspected hijackers in the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden.

The director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in New Delhi, retired Indian Army Major General Dipankar Banerjee, says India's navy has been given the all-clear by the government here to confront the pirates.

"It is very much in order for India to take an active interest in these attempted hijackings of ships, which now often have a very significant portion of Indian sailors," said Banerjee. "Indian merchantmen are manning most of these ships now. And most of these ships will have a significant number of Indians in them apart from the Indian cargo.

The presence of a number of warships from at least nine countries, including the United States, in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden has, so far, done little to thwart the rising number of attacks on commercial vessels.

Maritime industry groups report pirates are currently holding 14 ships off the Somali coast, including an oil supertanker.

An Indian navy warship, on November 11, first intercepted pirates who surrounded an Indian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden.

In the second incident - late Tuesday - the Indian Naval Ship Tabar, according to the Defense Ministry here, encountered a so-called mother ship of a group of pirates. The vessel refused to be boarded for an inspection, responded that it would destroy the Tabar if it did not depart and then fired upon the naval ship. India's navy says the Tabar returned fire, the pirate ship exploded as two speed boats of the suspected pirates broke away and escaped.

The Tabar was dispatched on an anti-piracy mission to the region at the beginning of the month to escort Indian and other merchant ships through the pirate-infested waters off of Somalia.

The International Maritime Bureau says piracy in the region is out of control. It is calling on the United Nations to take a role to halt the menace which is driving up costs for shipping and making crew members hesitant to transit one of the world's busiest commercial maritime routes.

[Singha]

it surely was video'ed to take care of any legal issues. by now the naval HQ on land
surely has the video already via satcom link.

we need contacts in defmin to release it for youtube.

[harbans]

If South block mandarins are feeling crappy on the IN action, they should read and understand the mood.

.. said Cyrus Mody, of the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors global piracy. “It shows that the pirates now have the capability and capacity to sustain themselves in deep sea until the vessel actually comes by.”

In a telephone interview from London on Wednesday, Mr. Mody said the shipping industry had been urging stronger naval measures against the pirates’ “mother ships” for some time and would approve of the Indian Navy’s action. “This is the sort of action which should be taken to try to deal with the situation,” he said.

Peter Hinchliffe, the marine director of the International Chamber of Shipping in London, said in a separate telephone interview that the Indian Navy’s action “is going to start to bring the message home” to pirates “that the international community really is ranged against them.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/world ... gewanted=2

[Tanaji]

How long before the likes of Arundhoti Roy start denouncing this as Indian imperialism against Somali territory and the assorted rest claiming that this is an action against Muslims?

[Rahul M]

don't give them ideas.

[Brando]

I doubt Arundati Roy would say anything this time as nobody would care enough to listen to her.

I am surprised that this is getting so much press in the West though it mainly been reported as evidence of the brazeness of the pirates than anything accomplished by the Indian Navy.