Indian navy captures 23 pirates in Gulf of Aden

New Delhi: The Indian navy captured 23 pirates in the Gulf of Aden after rescuing a merchant vessel that was being hijacked on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said.

The Indian INS Mysore was patrolling the waters when it received a distress call from Ethiopian-flagged MV Gibe saying two boats were closing in and firing, a Defence Ministry statement said.

"On sighting the helicopter and Mysore, the boats disengaged from MV Gibe and attempted escape. Mysore closed the vessels and ordered them to stop."

Indian commandos boarded the larger pirate boat, seizing 12 Somali and 11 Yemeni nationals as well as arms and equipment, the statement said.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden has been on a rise this year, with several high-profile hijackings, including the capture of Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, which was loaded with $100 million of crude oil.