In 2nd Anti-Piracy Op, Indian Navy's INS Sumitra Rescues 19 Pakistani Crew Members From Somali Pirates

In yet another daring operation in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy’s warship, INS Sumitra, rescued 19 Pakistani crew members onboard an Iran-flagged fishing vessel, Al Naeemi, from armed Somalian pirates.

As many as 11 Somalian pirates had hijacked the fishing vessel along with its 19 crew members.

Pirates had boarded FV Al Naeemi and taken all her crew members hostage. Responding swiftly to the developing situation, INS Sumitra intercepted the FV on January 29. Through coercive posturing and effective deployment of her integral help and boats, the Indian warship ensured the safe release of both the crew and the vessel, the Navy said in a statement.

The ship undertook confirmatory boarding to sanitise the FV and also check on the crew’s well being after they were held captive by the pirates.

Just yesterday, INS Sumitra — Indian Navy’s indigenous Offshore Patrol Vessel — rescued 17 crew members onboard another Iran-flagged fishing vessel, MV Iman, hijacked by Somalian pirates 700 nautical miles west of Kochi in the Arabian Sea.

The ALH Dhruv choppers on board the Indian Navy’s warship had encircled the hijacked vessel to issue warnings to the pirates that hijacked it, Indian Defence officials said.

INS Sumitra safely rescued all persons aboard the fishing vessel and disarmed the pirates, asking them to move towards Somalia.

FV Iman was sanitised and released for onward transit.,

Within 36 hours, INS Sumitra rescued two hijacked fishing vessels along with 36 crew members — 17 Iranian and 19 Pakistani — in the Southern Arabian Sea approximately 850 nautical miles west of Kochi. Through its persistent and relentless efforts, the Indian Navy’s warship prevented the misuse of these fishing vessels as mother ships for further acts of piracy on merchant ships.

The Indian Navy, once again, proved its commitment in the region to act against all maritime threats in order to ensure safety of all mariners and vessels at sea, the statement read.

The Navy on January 28 had deployed its missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam in the Gulf of Aden to assist and extinguish the fire onboard an Marshall Islands-flagged vessel with 22 Indian crew onboard.

Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said that after six hours of battling the fire along with the crew of the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, the Indian Naval firefighting team successfully brought the blaze under control.

India garnered international praise for its timely help to the commercial oil tanker struck by the missile in the Gulf of Aden.