Indian Navy’s ships return after participating in ‘Operation Rahat’ in Yemen

Indian Navy ship in Yemen.

Two of Indian Navy’s ships returned to Mumbai after participating in ‘Operation Rahat’, a rescue operation to evacuate civilians stuck in strife-torn Yemen. According to Navy officials, INS Tarkash returned to Mumbai on Saturday morning, while INS Mumbai returned on April 16.

Prior to commencement of the rescue operation, the Indian diaspora in Yemen was estimated to be approximately 4000 people.

The crisis in Yemen has left thousands of people homeless and stranded in the country. The airports and seaports of Yemen, with the exception of Al Hodeidah, have been thrown out of gear leaving very little room for movement of people trapped in the Gulf country.

The Offshore Patrol Vessel, INS Sumitra was the first to respond and evacuated 349 Indians on March 31 and transported them to Djibouti from Aden. During the evacuation operation at Aden, the ship reported bombing, gunfire and general disorder.

Meanwhile, two major warships — guided-missile destroyer INS Mumbai and the guided-missile frigate INS Tarkash — sailed from Mumbai to Yemen on March 30.

According to Navy officials, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash were tasked to escort passenger ships to Djibouti, as the waters of the Gulf of Aden have been piracy-infested since 2008.

As the days progressed, the Port of Aden was engulfed with shelling and firing and permission for entry of ships was not accorded by the local authorities, as fighting raged in the port city.

As more than 300 Indians were known to be awaiting evacuation from Aden, INS Mumbai was relieved of escort duties and was dispatched to a location off Aden on April 4, while INS Tarkash continued to escort passenger ships and reached Djibouti on April 5.

441 people, including foreign nationals, women, elderly persons and children were evacuated using boats from the Port of Aden to INS Mumbai and were transported to Djibouti on April 5.

After all ships were in the area, the evacuation cycle continued with close cooperation between various government agencies participating in the operation, and the three ships.

With most Indians already evacuated, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash left Djibouti for India on April 12, while INS Sumitra continued to remain in the area for the final evacuation mission conducted on April 15.

INS Mumbai reached Mumbai Harbour on April 16 and INS Tarkash escorted the two Merchant Vessels Kavaratti and Coral out of piracy ridden Gulf of Aden and returned Mumbai harbour on April 18. The two MVs with evacuees on them entered Cochin on April 18.

Source:: Indian Express