The Indian navy on Saturday mentioned it intercepted a bulk service that was hijacked by Somali pirates and demanded they give up.

The navy mentioned it intercepted the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen on Friday after it opened fireplace on an Indian warship in worldwide waters.

“The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender and release the vessel and any civilians they may be holding against their will,” the navy mentioned in a press release on X, previously Twitter.

The vessel was boarded by pirates on Dec. 14 and had 18 crew onboard when it was hijacked close to the Yemeni island of Socotra, round 240 kilometers (150 miles) off Somalia.

Activity from Somali pirates has dropped in recent times, however there was rising concern it may resume amid the political uncertainty and wider chaos within the area that has included attacks on global shipping by Yemeni Houthi rebels.

India recently began to flex its its naval power in worldwide waters, together with anti-piracy patrols and a broadly publicized deployment near the Red Sea to assist defend ships from assaults throughout Israel’s war with Hamas.

The navy has helped no less than 4 service provider vessels that have been attacked in excessive seas by Houthi rebels. Indian forces embrace three guided missile destroyers and reconnaissance plane.