Boarding parties find pirates had fled, but Captain and Filipino crew were reported safe
The navies of India and China carried out a joint operation on Sunday to rescue a merchant ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Indian defence ministry said. After receiving a distress call on Saturday night, the Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel who had locked himself in a strong room along with the rest of the Filipino crew. “An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel … to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board,” a statement from the defence ministry said. Emboldened by the helicopter cover and on receiving the all-clear signal that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room.
