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Three dhows and an unknown number of skiffs drifting the open sea 600 nautical miles west off Goa coast have raised the suspicions of the Indian Navy, which has ordered aerial surveillance of these vessels, suspecting them to be those of pirates, a naval officer has said.
Flag officer Commanding Goa area (FOCGA) Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai said that the suspected pirate vessels were being carefully watched by IL-38, a maritime surveillance aircraft for a whole day as armed marine vessels were on their way to confront the vessels and verify their antecedents.
“It is an ongoing operation. We have these vessels under observation for 24 hours now. We have sent our boats on a surface operation to board the vessel and check their documentation,” Pillai said. The operation was launched after the Indian Navy was informed about the presence of the unidentified crafts by a marine shipping vessel passing through the area on Friday.
Flag officer Commanding Goa area (FOCGA) Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai said that the suspected pirate vessels were being carefully watched by IL-38, a maritime surveillance aircraft for a whole day as armed marine vessels were on their way to confront the vessels and verify their antecedents.
“It is an ongoing operation. We have these vessels under observation for 24 hours now. We have sent our boats on a surface operation to board the vessel and check their documentation,” Pillai said. The operation was launched after the Indian Navy was informed about the presence of the unidentified crafts by a marine shipping vessel passing through the area on Friday.
