Video: Rescued crew hails Indian Navy after end of hijacking ordeal off Somalia coast

The first video of the rescued Indian crew on-board the previously hijacked Liberian-flagged ship MV Lila Norfolk is out. The Indian personnel narrated the ordeal and expressed relief following the rescue.

"We were stuck inside for 24 hours," an Indian personnel said while referring to the duration the vessel was stuck amid piracy attempts off the coast of Somalia. "Now we are relieved."

"Indian Navy. I am proud of the Indian Navy," said another rescued personnel.

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The personnel sang praises to Mother India in jubilation, with 'Bharat Mata ki jai' (Victory to Mother India) slogans.

All 21 crew personnel, including 15 Indian citizens onboard the MV Lila Norfolk vessel, which was hijacked on Thursday (Jan 4) off the coast of Somalia have been secured and evacuated by the Indian Navy.

"Indian Navy swiftly responded to the hijacking incident onboard Liberian flagged Bulk Carrier MV Lila Norfolk deploying considerable strength of assets (both ships and aircraft) and an aggressive intent to counter-attack by pirates," the naval forces said in an official statement on January 6.

The Indian Navy has increased its surveillance in the Arabian Sea after a recent spate of attacks in the region. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, data from the navy's Information Fusion Centre said that the Indian Ocean Region showed at least three hijacking cases in Dec 2023.

A total of three major maritime security incidents have been reported between Dec 28, 2023, and Jan 3, 2024, according to the Indian Navy's Information fusion centre for the Indian Ocean region. These include attacks by anti-ship ballistic missile attacks and an attack on the MV Maersk Hangzhou ship.

The hijacking of commercial ships and attempted hijackings by suspected pirates near the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea regions resumed in December after a six-year lull.

The armed attacks on theships passing through the strategically important maritime regionhave disrupted one of the busiest global shipping lanes | WION

This is partly due to the repositioning of the US Navy to protect its assets in the region in the wake of Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea region.

The Iran-backed and Yemen-based Houthi militia have launched sustained attacks on the merchant ships passing through the crucial maritime region in purported support of Palestinians in the wake of Israel's retaliatory state of war in Gaza that began on October 7 last year.

(With inputs from agencies)