Somali pirates used an Iranian fishing vessel to hijack MV Ruen

Al Ashkaan was hijacked earlier on November 29, 2023, near Socotra Island off the coast of Yemen

New details that have come to light reveal that the pirate mother ship that was used to hijack Malta-flagged merchant vessel MV Ruen on December 14 was itself an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Al Ashkaan with 24 Pakistani crew members.

Al Ashkaan was hijacked earlier on November 29, 2023, near Socotra Island off the coast of Yemen and used for the subsequent act of piracy, as confirmed by at least two sources.

“Fishing vessel Al Ashkaan was hijacked by seven Somali pirates and taken to Somalia and later used to hijack Ruen. After that they set free Al Ashkaan, which asked other Iranian fishing vessels for fuel and supplies,” an official source said.

The pirates had kept continuous watch and were very aggressive with hijacked crew members, a source added. The hijackers had first diverted Al Ashkaan to Mozart Pirates Camp in Somalia, where two more armed pirates had boarded the vessel.

MV Ruen was hijacked on December 14, 2023, when it was 600 Nm east off the Somalian coast. Subsequently, it sailed out of Somalian waters for further acts of piracy on the high seas when it was intercepted by INS Kolkata on March 14. After a 40-hour operation, the Indian Navy forced the surrender of 35 pirates and freed the 17 original crew members of the vessel. An Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 transport aircraft airdropped marine commandos and combat boats as part of the mission, which was executed 2,600 km away from the Indian coast.

On March 23, the 35 pirates were brought to Mumbai and handed to the police for prosecution.

The Navy stated that after repairs and assessment, MV Ruen — with its Malta-flag restored — had proceeded on its own power to the port of Salalah, Oman as decided by the shipping company, with the escort of INS Subhadra.