Navy rescues Iran’s fishing vessel hijacked off Somalia
The vessel was intercepted by INS Sumedha and INS Trishul, leading to ‘over 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures’ forcing the pirates to surrender, says Navy statement
The Indian Navy said it had freed the 23-strong crew of an Iranian fishing vessel which was seized by armed pirates off Somalia.
The Al Kambar 786 was southwest of the Yemeni island of Socotra, in the Arabian Sea, on March 28 when it was reported to have been boarded by nine pirates, according to a naval statement on Friday.
The vessel was intercepted by the navy’s INS Sumedha and INS Trishul, leading to “over 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures” forcing the pirates to surrender, the statement said.
The nine pirates are being brought to India under the domestic law against piracy on the high seas, the navy said in a separate statement on Saturday.
The fishing vessel’s crew of 23 Pakistani nationals were safe and received medical checks before being cleared to continue with fishing activities, the statement said.
Piracy incidents east of the Red Sea have resurfaced for the first time in nearly a decade.
Taking advantage of Western forces’ focus on protecting shipping from atacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis, pirates have made or attempted more than 20 hijackings since November, driving up insurance and security costs and adding to a crisis for global shipping companies.
“All the nine pirates were forced to surrender by the specialist teams. They are being brought to India for legal action in accordance with the Maritime Anti-piracy Act of 2022,” the Navy said.
The Navy said that the crew comprising 23 Pakistani nationals were given a thorough medical checkup prior to clearing the boat to continue with the fishing activities.
“Two naval ships, mission deployed in the Arabian Sea for maritime security operations were diverted to intercept the hijacked fishing vessel ater we received information of a potential piracy incident onboard the Iranian fishing vessel Al Kambar on March 28,” the Navy said.
The fishing vessel at the time of the incident was approximately 90 Nm southwest of Socotra and was reported to have been boarded by nine armed pirates.
“The hijacked fishing vessel was intercepted on March 29,” the Navy said. It said that the Navy remains commited to ensuring maritime security in the region and the safety of seafarers, irrespective of nationalities.
A couple of weeks ago, Indian naval forces including special commandos seized a cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates, rescuing 17 crew members.
The navy then had said in a post on social media plaform X that all 35 pirates aboard the ship, the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo vessel Ruen, had surrendered, and the ship had been checked for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition and contraband.
The Ruen had been hijacked last year and the navy said it had intercepted the vessel on Friday.
The vessel may have been used as the base for the takeover of a Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia earlier this week, the European Union naval force said.
The hijacking of the Ruen was the first successful takeover of a vessel involving Somali pirates since 2017 when a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Somali pirates had caused chaos in important global waterways for a decade but had been dormant until a resurgence of atacks starting late last year.
India deploys at least a dozen warships east of the Red Sea to provide security against pirates as Western powers focus on atacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.
At least 17 incidents of hijacking, attempted hijacking and suspicious approaches had been recorded by the Indian Navy since Dec.1, Indian officials previously said.
The Mumbai Police had arrested 35 Somali pirates nabbed by the Indian Navy late last week during its anti-piracy operation.
The pirates, who have been booked under relevant sections of kidnapping, extortion and illegal assembly under the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Maritime Anti-piracy Act and Arms Act, were brought to Mumbai early in the day ater which they were handed over to the Yellow Gate police.