Indian naval forces successfully rescued the crew of an Iranian fishing boat that had been hijacked off the coast of Somalia. The operation, which concluded on Monday, lasted for more than 48 hours. India's Defense Ministry announced the details of the rescue on Tuesday, confirming that the vessel, named the Azini, was secured in the Arabian Sea.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the rescue was completed at a location more than 3,000 kilometers from Mumbai. The ministry reported that the operation involved a coordinated effort using a warship, a maritime surveillance aircraft, and marine commandos. Additionally, an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft was used to airdrop extra commando personnel to assist in the mission.
According to an official with the Puntland Maritime Police Force who spoke to The Associated Press, Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates during the operation. The suspects, along with two Somali security guards, were later released and came ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia. The official noted that three individuals among those who arrived on land sustained minor injuries, though it was not specified whether they were from the pirate group or the security team.
The Indian Defense Ministry stated that the operation ended without any reported casualties or injuries. However, the ministry did not clarify if this account included all personnel involved or only the rescued crew. It also remained unclear whether the 20 crew members stayed on the vessel or were transferred to another location after the rescue.
The Azini was originally hijacked on October 29 while traveling between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. A Puntland maritime police officer indicated on Sunday that the boat carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali guards at the time of the hijacking. A discrepancy exists between this earlier count and the 20 crew members reported by India, a difference that has not yet been fully explained.
Indian forces tracked the vessel through both sea and air surveillance before securing it. Officials expressed concern that the pirates might utilize the hijacked boat as a mobile base to launch attacks against commercial shipping in the area. The Puntland official noted that regional authorities were only informed of the successful rescue after the operation had already been completed.
This incident is part of a broader resurgence of Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean. Since April, pirates have hijacked six commercial vessels by August, with some seizures occurring far from the Somali coast. Notable incidents include the seizure of the oil products tanker Sibu 1, which was taken approximately 252 kilometers east of al-Mukalla in Yemen.
In September, Puntland authorities reported that pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces managed to recover the ship. The vessel had been held captive since April. During the recovery of the MT Honour 25, authorities detained 16 suspected pirates.
The renewed activity by pirates adds to existing risks for shipping in a region already complicated by the ongoing conflict involving Iran. Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels against Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb strait have disrupted oil transport routes. These disruptions have led to longer voyages and increased costs for tankers, with some shipments diverted around Africa facing delays of up to a month.
While international naval patrols and improved security measures have significantly reduced Somali piracy over the last decade, recent high-profile hijackings have renewed concerns about the threat's persistence in the region.
