Indian Navy takes over dhow released by pirates

Somali pirates on Monday released the crew of an Indian-registered dhow which had been taken hostage on April 1 off the island of Socotra in the Arabian Sea.

After the Somali Security Forces freed MV Al Kausar from captivity, the Indian Navy dispatched a warship which received and escorted the dhow to international waters on April 13.

The crew were released after Somali authorities surrounded the pirates denying them food and water and even bringing in the pirates’ parents to negotiate the release, according to a Reuters report.

The pirates first released the vessel and two crew members on April 11 and the remaining eight crew the following day.

MV Kausar is the third vessel to be hijacked by Somali pirates in 2017 and also the third vessel to be hijacked since 2012, a five year break in pirate activity off Somalia.