Drama in high seas off Guj coast; crisis averted

Gandhinagar, Mar 7: The savage pirates seem to be raising their ugly head once again and have made the sea a terror zone. This time the news has come from closer home when pirates attacked an oil tanker near the Gujarat coast. The attackers were heavily-armed with rocket-propelled grenades and other ammunition.

The tanker was on its way from Antwerp, Belgium to the Jamnagar coast in Gujarat after filling crude oil from a refinery. The Gujarat police along with Indian Coast Guard were able to contain the damage and was able to intercept the pirate attack on time.

A major catastrophe was averted when the Coast Guards together with the Gujarat Police diffused a live grenade that had landed in the Greece-registered MT Agea. The grenade had not yet exploded, and with the timely intervention of the authorities, a crisis was averted. The effect would have been deadly considering that the tanker was filled with crude oil.

The live grenade was handled with the experts from the bomb disposal squad after a three-hour operation. The Indian Navy was also kept on hold in case of any exigencies. The tanker was anchored in the periphery of the Gulf of Kutch, 15 nautical miles off Okha.

The onslaught of Somali Pirates have seen an upward swing in recent times and with no news of the six Indians who are still under the pirates' custody, isn't it time the authorities take a more pro-active approach to tackle the menace in the high seas?

OneIndia News