NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy’s prompt action in response to a distress signal from an Iranian vessel has led to the rescue of a hijacked vessel and its crew.
The Indian Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel, INS Sumitra, while deployed for Anti-Piracy Operations along the East coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, received a distress call about the hijacking of an Iranian flagged fishing vessel, FV Iman. The vessel had been boarded by pirates, and its crew was taken hostage, as reported by the Indian Navy.
The Navy stated in a release, “Upon intercepting the vessel, INS Sumitra followed established Standard Operating Procedures to coerce the pirates into releasing the crew and the boat safely, achieving the successful liberation of all 17 crew members and the boat.”
Subsequently, the Navy confirmed that the FV was thoroughly checked and cleared for onward journey.
The Indian Navy’s continuous deployment of ships for anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean Region underscores its commitment to ensuring the safety of all vessels and seafarers at sea. In a related incident, INS Visakhapatnam provided assistance to a merchant vessel that had a fire break-out onboard. The merchant vessel, carrying a crew of 22 Indians and one Bangladeshi, received help from INS Visakhapatnam’s NBCD team, equipped with firefighting gear.
INS Sumitra, along with other warships and surveillance aircraft, was deployed in the region in late December due to a rise in maritime security incidents involving merchant vessels passing through international shipping lanes.