Kochi: Twelve armed Somali pirates who seized a fishing vessel off the northeastern coast of Somalia were overpowered by the Indian Navy following a 48-hour operation, leading to the rescue of all 20 crew members. The operation, carried out more than 3,000 km from Mumbai, involved a Navy warship, surveillance aircraft, elite Marine Commandos and support from the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The Iranian fishing vessel, Azini, was hijacked earlier last month in the Arabian Sea, between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun in northeastern Somalia. The seizure raised concerns that the pirates could use the fishing vessel as a ‘mother ship’, which is a larger vessel from which they could launch attacks on merchant ships operating in the region.

At the time of the hijacking, the vessel was carrying 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards. The Maritime Security Centre – Indian Ocean had issued an alert about the seizure, warning that the vessel was approaching a busy commercial shipping lane and could potentially be used as a base for further pirate attacks.

Responding to the threat, the Indian Navy deployed a warship, supported by a maritime reconnaissance aircraft, to locate and track the hijacked vessel. The aircraft monitored Azini’s movements from the air while the warship maintained surveillance at sea.

Once the vessel was located, the Navy used non-lethal measures to restrict its movement and prevent the pirates from taking it away. These measures helped contain the vessel without immediately resorting to the use of weapons.

The operation was further strengthened with the deployment of Marine Commandos, the Navy’s elite special operations force. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft carried out a precision airdrop to reinforce the commandos involved in the mission.

After more than 48 hours of coordinated efforts, the Navy intercepted and secured the fishing vessel, overcoming the pirate threat on November 2. All 20 crew members were rescued safely, with no casualties or injuries reported.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Indian Navy for locating and securing the release of the Iranian fishing vessel and its crew, acknowledging the timely support provided by the Air Force.

He said the operation demonstrated the Navy's high operational readiness and its ability to respond decisively to maritime threats across the region.

Resurgence of Somali piracy
The rescue comes amid a renewed spate of piracy off Somalia, particularly in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean, raising fresh concerns over the safety of commercial shipping.

By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, with some attacks taking place hundreds of kilometres from Somalia’s coastline. Among them was the oil products tanker Sibu 1, seized approximately 252 km east of Al-Mukalla in Yemen.

In another incident in September, Puntland authorities reported that pirates had killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces recovered the vessel. The tanker had been held by pirates since April. Authorities subsequently detained 16 suspected pirates.

International naval patrols and improved maritime security measures had significantly reduced piracy off Somalia over the past decade. However, the recent hijackings have renewed concerns about the threat posed by armed groups operating along the country’s extensive coastline.

The situation has added to the challenges facing commercial shipping in the region, which is already dealing with disruptions linked to the Iran war, attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels against vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

According to the Indian Navy, the latest rescue operation underlined India’s stated commitment to remaining a ‘First Responder and Preferred Security Partner’ in the region.