The Indian Navy successfully countered three hijacking attempts in a 36 hour time frame. These operations resulted in the rescue of crew members from two Iranian-flagged fishing vessels and a Sri Lankan flagged fishing trawler named Lorenzo Putha.
First, In a coordinated effort with the Sri Lanka Navy and Seychelles Defence Force, the Indian Navy deployed the offshore patrol vessel INS Sharda and MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones. This led to the interception and rescue of the hijacked Sri Lankan trawler. The pirates surrendered to the Seychelles Coast Guard, securing the safety of all crew members.
The rescue of 19 Pakistani nationals from the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Al Naeemi was executed by the INS Sumitra. This vessel had been hijacked by 11 Somali pirates. The Navy employed aggressive posturing and fired warning shots to intimidate the pirates into surrendering. Following the initial unsuccessful attempt, the Navy escalated its approach by deploying its Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv. Subsequently, the Navy’s Marine Commandos (MARCOS) unit boarded the vessel, disarmed and detained the pirates with no reported injuries.
The Indian Navy has significantly increased its presence in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to address piracy and missile attacks on merchant vessels in these areas. Following two attacks in December targeting ships primarily crewed by Indians, the Indian government committed to holding the perpetrators accountable. Additionally, the Navy conducted a rescue operation for a hijacked ship in the Arabian Sea earlier in the month. In a notable collaboration, the Indian Navy’s INS Visakhapatnam, alongside the U.S. Navy’s USS Carney and the French Navy’s FS Alsace, played a crucial role in extinguishing a fire on the cargo ship M/V Marlin Luanda, which was ignited by a missile strike attributed to Houthi forces
#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
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