New Delhi. 20 March 2024. In a telephone conversation with the President of India Droupadi Murmu, Head of State Bulgaria President Rumen Radev expressed the gratitude of his country and the Bulgarian people for the high professionalism of the Indian Navy, which on 16 March recently freed the pirate-hijacked merchant ship Ruen and its crewmembers, including seven Bulgarian citizens.
President Radev highly appreciated the support of the Indian side, as well as the courage of the personnel in service involved in the rescue of the sailors and the release of the vessel. The Indian Navy demonstrated the significant role of India in ensuring the security of navigation in the region, the Bulgarian Head of State said. The two Presidents agreed that the rescue of the hijacked Ruen strengthened the long-standing friendship that the two countries have built.
This year 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and India. President of India Droupadi Murmu invited President Rumen Radev to visit India at a time convenient for both sides to mark the anniversary and outline the prospects for further development of bilateral cooperation. In the telephone conversation, both Heads of State noted the potential for building on the partnership in a number of areas of mutual interest.
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has replied to the Rumen Radev’s tweet regarding the Indian Navy rescuing the hijacked Bulgarian ship “Ruen” and its crew members including 7 Bulgarian citizens. The Prime Minister expressed appreciation and emphasized India’s commitment to protecting freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region.
Mariya Gabriel the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria tweeted,” I express my gratitude to the navy for the successful operation to rescue the hijacked vessel Ruen &its crew members, including 7 BG nationals Thank you for support &great effort. We continue to work together to protect lives of the crew.” To which Dr. S Jaishankar Minister of External Affairs responded, “That’s what friends are for.”
It may be recalled that on the night of 14 Dec 23, a report regarding potential piracy incident onboard Malta flagged vessel, MV Ruen, was monitored on UKMTO portal. The vessel was reported to be boarded by six unknown personnel.
In a swift response, Indian Navy’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft deployed to investigate the incident arrived overhead MV Ruen AM 15 Dec 23 and established communication with the crew. All 18 crew (no Indians onboard the MV) were reported to be safe in the citadel. Concurrently, in response to the incident, INS Kochi on Anti Piracy Patrol in the Gulf of Aden was also diverted immediately to render assistance.
INS Kochi intercepted MV Ruen in the early hours on16 Dec 23 and launched its integral helicopter to assess the situation. It was ascertained from the crew that the citadel onboard MV Ruen had been breached and all crew members were held hostage by the pirates. One of the crew member had also sustained injuries, but was reported to be stable. Whilst no armed intervention was undertaken to ensure crew safety onboard the hijacked MV, requisite actions were taken by the warship towards ensuring suitable treatment of the crew by the pirates. A Japanese warship also arrived in the area on 16 Dec 23 and was relieved by the Spanish warship ESPNS Victoria, later in the day. IN ship maintained in close vicinity of hijacked vessel during its transit towards Somalia from 16 – 17 Dec 23, suitably engaging with the pirates and coordinating actions with the other warships.
The hijacked vessel entered territorial waters of Somalia (off Bosaso) PM 17 Dec 23. INS Kochi was successful in ensuring that the injured crew member was released by pirates in the early hours of 18 Dec 23 for further medical management. The injured crew member was medically attended to onboard the IN ship but due to urgent medical attention required, which was beyond the scope of the ship, he was transferred ashore at Oman on 19 Dec 23
In the light of above incident and towards augmenting the anti-Piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden region, the Indian Navy has deployed another indigenous guided missile destroyer in the region. The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring safety of merchant shipping and rendering assistance to the mariners at sea, as a ‘first responder’ in the region.
