The Indian Navy, with the help of its long-range anti-submarine warfare aircraft, has thwarted a "piracy" attempt in the Western Arabian Sea, 800 nautical miles off Mumbai, targeted at a merchant vessel.
The incident happened on April 15. The P8I aircraft on surveillance monitored one mother-boat and two high-speed skiffs approaching the vessel sailing with Malta flag. The vessel sought assistance to counter suspected piracy, a Navy spokesperson said on Wednesday.
"The aircraft immediately responded and made warning transmissions," the official said.
The suspicious mother-boat and the skiffs altered course after seeing the approaching aircraft, he said.
"The pirate attack on the merchant vehicle was foiled successfully. It shows our maritime domain awareness and our vigilant eye on our area of responsibility," the official said.
The eastern coast of Africa is infested with pirates who often target merchant vessels in the Arabian sea. India is among the countries who have deployed warships in the area to check piracy.
Source: Indian Defence News