Indian Navy Frees Iranian Crew From Hijacked Fishing Vessel
Rescue operation concludes in Arabian Sea after 48-hour pursuit of 12 suspected pirates.
By Connor Murphy ·
Indian naval forces rescued 20 crew members from the Iranian fishing boat Azini on Monday, concluding an operation that lasted more than 48 hours. The vessel was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the rescue was completed in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers from Mumbai.
A Puntland Maritime Police Force official told The Associated Press that Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates during the operation. The suspects, along with two Somali security guards, were taken ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia. Three of those individuals sustained minor injuries, though the official did not specify which group they belonged to or how the injuries occurred.
The Indian Defense Ministry stated the operation ended without casualties or injuries, though it did not clarify if that count included the rescued crew or all personnel involved. The ministry did not disclose whether the crew remained on the Azini or were transferred to another location.
The rescue team included a warship, a maritime surveillance aircraft, and marine commandos. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft airdropped additional commandos to assist in securing the vessel. Indian forces tracked the ship by sea and air before taking control.
The Azini was seized on Oct. 29 between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. A Puntland officer said on Sunday that the boat carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali guards. The difference between that initial count and the 20 rescued by India remains unexplained.
This incident follows a rise in Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, including the oil products tanker Sibu 1 near Yemen. In September, authorities recovered the tanker MT Honour 25 after pirates killed five of its crew members. The renewed threat coincides with shipping disruptions caused by the Iran war and Houthi attacks, which have increased voyage times and tanker costs in the region.
