Injured Sailor Rescued from Hijacked Ship by Indian Navy, Flown to Oman for Treatment

NEW DELHI, Dec 19: The Indian Navy helped in the evacuation of an injured sailor from the hijacked Malta-flagged cargo vessel in the early hours of Monday. The hijackers released the sailor who has now been flown to Oman for treatment, the Navy said.

The injured crew member was reported to be stable, it said in a statement.

“The injured crew member was medically managed on-board the IN ship but due to urgent medical attention required, which was beyond the scope of the ship, he has been transferred ashore at Oman,” the Navy said.

The Indian Navy’s warship has been tracking MV Ruen since Saturday when it indicated that six “pirates” had illegally boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy had swiftly responded to a call for help and its warship on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden was deployed to locate and assist MV Ruen.

The Navy said its aircraft flew over the hijacked vessel and its movement was being monitored. The vessel is now headed towards the coast of Somalia, it said.

(Manas Dasgupta)