INS Sumitra, Indian Navy’s warship deployed in the Gulf of Aden, rescued fishermen hijacked by the Somali pirates on Monday. According to the officials, fishing vehicle belongs to Iran and had 17 crew members, when it was targeted by the pirates. Somali pirates forcefully boarded the Iranian flagged fishing vehicle and took the crew as hostage. Navy officials say that INS Sumitra intercepted the distress message related to the hijacking of MV Iman.
In a swift response to the distress message, INS Sumitra worked according to the SOPs and ‘coerced’ the Somali pirates for release of the crew members. The navy officials say that its ships deployed on antipiracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region show its commitment towards safety of all seafarers.
This is not the first time that Indian Navy has rescued the fishing vehicles targeted by the Somali pirates. On January 5, INS Chennai successfully rescued the crew of a vessel off the coast of Somalia and saved all 15 Indian nationals aboard. The cargo ship MV Lila Norfolk, with 15 Indian crew members, was seized by pirates. The January 5 rescue operations were conducted by the Marine Commandos (MARCOS).
Recently, the Indian Navy has intensified its surveillance of the Arabian Sea in response to a series of attacks in the region. This week, the navy reported conducting extensive investigations of fishing vessels and boarding ships of interest in the North and Central Arabian Sea.
Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, concerns are growing due to increased attacks by Houthi militants on merchant vessels in the Red Sea. The recent hijacking is part of a string of maritime incidents observed in these strategic waters in the past few weeks.
On December 23, the Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto, carrying 21 Indian crew members, experienced a drone attack off India’s west coast. Concurrently, another commercial oil tanker en route to India faced a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day, with a team of 25 Indian crew members on board. Additionally, on December 14, pirates hijacked the Malta-flagged MV Ruen in a separate incident.