India’s navy takes control of bulk carrier hijacked by Somali pirates and evacuates crew

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian navy says it has taken control of a bulk carrier that was hijacked by Somali pirates and evacuated the 17 crew members on the vessel. The navy said late Saturday that all 35 pirates on board the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen had surrendered and the vessel was checked for illegal arms, ammunition and contrabdm.  The vessel was seized by pirates Dec. 14 near the Yemeni island of Socotra. Activity by Somali pirates has dropped in recent years, but there has been growing concern it could resume amid the political uncertainty and wider chaos in the region that has included attacks on ships by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. India recently began to flex its its naval power in international waters.