India’s navy announced on Tuesday that it successfully liberated an Iranian fishing vessel seized by Somali pirates, marking the second such incident in as many days. The INS Sumitra, an Indian warship, played a pivotal role in securing the safe release of the 19 Pakistani crew members aboard the Iranian-flagged Al Naeemi fishing vessel, overcoming the threat posed by 11 Somali pirates. This rescue operation occurred overnight Monday off the Somali coast, approximately 850 nautical miles (1,574 kilometers) west of Kochi, India.
This intervention came shortly after India reported the successful rescue of 17 crew members from the Iranian-flagged Iman fishing vessel, similarly hijacked by Somali pirates. In a separate incident, commandos from Seychelles freed the Sri Lankan fishing vessel Lorenzo Putha-4 and rescued its six-man crew. This particular hijacking had taken place three days earlier, about 840 nautical miles (1,555 kilometers) southeast of Mogadishu, the capital of war-ravaged Somalia.
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The recent surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia has raised concerns about a potential resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates. These incidents, combined with heightened attacks by Yemen’s Houthi fighters in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, have prompted shifts in international naval forces. The fear is that pirates may exploit security gaps, as evidenced by the first successful case of Somali piracy since 2017 recorded in December.
Piracy off the Somali coast reached its peak in 2011, with pirates employing high-powered open skiffs to capture fishing vessels that could serve as “motherships” for launching attacks on larger ships. India’s ongoing naval presence in the region since 2008 aims not only to rescue crews and vessels but also to prevent the misuse of fishing vessels as motherships for further acts of piracy on larger merchant vessels. In December, India reinforced its commitment by deploying a more substantial force, including three guided-missile destroyers and P-8I reconnaissance aircraft. Despite its close trade ties with Iran, India has not joined the US-led maritime task force in the Red Sea, focused on protecting international shipping from Houthi attacks.
Following the release of an injured sailor into the care of the Indian navy, the pirates took the MV Ruen, along with its remaining 17 crew members, to Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland.
See the exclusive footage below
Indian navy warship rescues 19 Pakistani nationals from Somali pirates pic.twitter.com/CYcS3HQyLl
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) January 30, 2024
