Indian Navy commandos rescued 20 crew members of an Iranian fishing boat, which had been hijacked on October 29 after a 48-hour operation off the coast of Somalia.
The Iranian-flagged Azini was seized by Somali pirates on Sunday, raising fears it might be deployed as a pirate mothership targeting merchant vessels.
India sent the destroyer INS Kolkata to track the vessel. The operation took place more than 3,000 kilometers from Mumbai, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft then airdropped Marine commandos to disarm the pirates.
An official with the Maritime Police Force of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeast Somalia, told The Associated Press the Indian forces disarmed 12 pirates.
India’s Defense Ministry said the operation ended without anyone being injured. It is not clear whether the crew is still aboard the vessel.
The Azini was hijacked between Bandar Bayla and Hafun in Somalia. The Puntland official said it also had two Somali security guards on board.
Iran thanked India for rescuing its crew members and lauded the role of the Indian Navy and IAF. The Iranian embassy in New Delhi heralded the operation as a “testament to the friendship and cooperation” between the two countries.
Somali piracy peaked around 2011, costing the world economy some $7 billion a year, before international naval patrols and armed private guards managed to contain the threat. The INS Kolkata has been deployed in the region for anti-piracy patrols and protecting Indian ships.
There has been a spate of hijacking incidents reported across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean recently, further complicating the passage of ships. The regional maritime economy has suffered immensely due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has stretched naval resources, enabling pirates to target shipping vessels.
Six commercial vessels were reportedly hijacked between April and August in the region, the AP said. In September, pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25. Puntland authorities said they detained 16 suspected pirates from that incident.