Indian Navy warship INS Trikand thwarted a piracy attempt on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday night, sources told ANI. Indian Navy Marine Commandos (MARCOS) boarded the affected vessel, MV Golden Arsenal, which had one Indian crew member on board. The vessel was carrying critical cargo for India. According to sources, the crew locked themselves inside a safe room after pirates attempted to board the ship and alerted authorities through a communication channel. The pirates fled as INS Trikand approached the vessel. MARCOS later boarded and sanitised the ship. Earlier, on June 19, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Trikand responded to a distress call from MV Fareeda 5 on a likely piracy attempt in the Western Indian Ocean and undertook prompt action to investigate and deter it. The Indian Navy said that timely intervention assured the safety of the merchant vessel. In a post on X, the Indian Navy said, "Responding swiftly to a distress call from MV Fareeda 5 on a likely piracy attempt in the Western Indian Ocean on 17 June 26, mission deployed INS Trikand a frontline frigate of the Indian Navy undertook prompt action to investigate and deter the threat. Timely intervention assured safety of the merchant vessel. As a preferred security partner and first responder in the region, Indian Navy remains committed to safeguarding merchant shipping, countering piracy and ensuring safe and secure seas." Earlier, on May 27, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kolkata foiled a suspected piracy attempt in the vicinity of merchant vessel MV Mashallah 1 in the Western Indian Ocean. Responding swiftly to inputs of pirate activity near merchant vessel MV Mashallah 1, INS Kolkata, mission-deployed in the Western Indian Ocean (around the Gulf of Aden), undertook prompt action to investigate and deter the threat. The investigation was conducted using the helicopter onboard INS Kolkata, as well as the boarding operations by the ship's crew. The timely intervention ensured the safety of the merchant vessel and prevented a possible piracy attack.