Indian Navy rescues Iranian fishing vessel hijacked by pirates, rescues 23 Pakistani crew members
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New Delhi, Mar 30: In a significant development, the Indian Navy has once again conducted an anti-piracy operation as it rescued an Iranian fishing vessel that was hijacked by pirates and rescued its crew of 23 Pakistani nationals in the Arabian Sea in an over 12-hour-long operation.
“After more than 12 hrs of intense coercive tactical measures as per the SOPs, the pirates on board the hijacked FV were forced to surrender. The crew, comprising 23 Pakistani nationals, have been safely rescued,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.
The rescue mission unfolded in the early hours of March 29. Indian Navy warship INS Sumedha intercepted the hijacked vessel FV Al-Kambar. Missile frigate INS Trishul soon joined the operation.
#INSSumedha intercepted FV Al-Kambar during early hours of #29Mar 24 & was joined subsequently by the guided missile frigate #INSTrishul.
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 29, 2024
After more than 12 hrs of intense coercive tactical measures as per the SOPs, the pirates on board the hijacked FV were forced to surrender.… https://t.co/2q3Ihgk1jn pic.twitter.com/E2gtTDHVKu
The Indian Navy, without any bloodshed, coerced the Somali pirates to surrender. It said at the time that two naval ships were diverted to intercept the hijacked vessel after receiving inputs regarding the piracy incident on-board the Iranian fishing vessel.
At the time of the incident, the Iranian fishing vessel was approximately 90 nautical miles southwest of Socotra and nine armed pirates had boarded the fishing vessel. The hijacked vessel was intercepted on March 29. "The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring maritime security in the region and safety of seafarers, irrespective of their nationalities,” the Indian Navy further added.
"Indian Naval specialist teams are presently undertaking thorough sanitisation & seaworthiness checks of the FV in order to escort her to a safe area for resuming normal fishing activities," it added.
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Indian Navy and Anti-Piracy Operation
The Indian Navy has carried out several operations to thwart piracy in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
The Navy will take "affirmative action" to ensure a safer and more secure Indian Ocean Region, its chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar, told a press conference on March 23 while citing the anti-piracy and other maritime security operations undertaken by the naval force in the preceding 100 days under "Op Sankalp".
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As part of the maritime security operations, the Navy has undertaken anti-piracy, anti-missiles and anti-drones operations. A total of 110 lives -- 45 Indians and 65 foreign nationals -- were saved during "Op Sankalp" in that 100-day period.
It was also mentioned in the presentation that from November last year till March, "more than 90 maritime incidents have happened", including 57 drone or missile attacks or sightings and 39 incidents of piracy, hijacking and suspicious approaches.