Indian Navy rescues 19 Pakistani sailors in 2nd op within 48 hours
PTC News Desk: In a swift and decisive operation, the Indian Navy's warship, INS Sumitra, successfully rescued 19 Pakistani sailors who had been kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Somalia. This marked the second anti-piracy operation conducted by INS Sumitra within a span of 36 hours, demonstrating the Navy's rapid response capabilities.
The incident unfolded when the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel FV Al Naeemi was hijacked by 11 armed pirates, who held the entire crew, comprised of 19 Pakistanis, hostage. Responding promptly to the developing situation, INS Sumitra intercepted the hijacked fishing vessel on January 29. Employing coercive tactics and effectively deploying its integral helicopter and boats, the warship compelled the pirates to release the hostages safely.
#INSSumitra Carries out 2nd Successful #AntiPiracy Ops – Rescuing 19 Crew members & Vessel from Somali Pirates.
Having thwarted the Piracy attempt on FV Iman, the warship has carried out another successful anti-piracy ops off the East Coast of Somalia, rescuing Fishing Vessel Al… https://t.co/QZz9bCihaU pic.twitter.com/6AonHw51KX — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 30, 2024
The Indian Navy, in an official statement, highlighted the vessel's swift and persistent efforts, emphasising its commitment to preventing the misuse of hijacked fishing vessels as mother ships for further acts of piracy on merchant vessels. Within less than 36 hours, INS Sumitra successfully rescued two hijacked fishing vessels, ensuring the safety of a total of 36 crew members, including 17 Iranians and 19 Pakistanis, in the southern Arabian Sea approximately 850 nautical miles west of Kochi.
Swift response by #IndianNavy's Mission Deployed warship ensures safe release of hijacked vessel & crew.#INSSumitra, on #AntiPiracy ops along East coast of #Somalia & #GulfofAden, responded to a distress message regarding hijacking of an Iranian flagged Fishing Vessel (FV)… pic.twitter.com/AQTkcTJvQo — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 29, 2024
The rescue operation followed a similar mission carried out a day earlier, where INS Sumitra responded to an SOS call from another Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, FV Iman, hijacked by Somali pirates. In that operation, the Navy successfully rescued the vessel's 17 Iranian crew members.
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The back-to-back successful anti-piracy operations underscore the Indian Navy's commitment to maritime security and its ability to respond swiftly to maritime threats in the region.
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(Inputs from agencies)
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