Sailor injured on hijacked merchant ship moved to Indian navy vessel for treatment

One of the 18 sailors on board the hijacked merchant vessel Ruen was on Monday transferred to Indian stealth destroyer INS Kochi for medical assistance after he was injured, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

- Rahul Singh

The sailor was treated on board and later transferred to a shore-based medical facility for further evaluation, they added.

"The Indian Navy rendered assistance in evacuation of an injured crew member from the hijacked vessel MV Ruen in early hours of Dec 18. He had sustained injuries during the piracy incident but was reported to be stable. Towards ensuring his safety, the ship was successful in ensuring his release by hijackers," navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

The injured crew member was medically managed on board the warship but due to urgent medical attention required, which was beyond the scope of the ship, he was transferred ashore at Oman, Madhwal said. Details of how the sailor, a Bulgarian, was injured were not immediately available.