Warships from India, China and Pakistan operated jointly in the Gulf of Aden to rescue a merchant vessel attacked by Somali pirates on Saturday night. The Chinese navy sent a team of 18 men to sanitise the 178-metre merchant vessel, with the Indian Navy providing the communication link and air cover with its helicopters. The merchant vessel sailed to safety due to a joint effort, Indian Navy spokesperson captain DK Sharma said. There was a lull in the Gulf of Aden for some time but now the pirates seem to be active again. In March, Somali pirates hijacked a Comoros-flagged oil tanker, marking the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel since 2012.

Source: Hindustan Times April 09, 2017 06:09 UTC