Navy Frees 20 Iranian Crew From Hijacked Boat Off Somalia

Twenty crew members were safe after Indian forces took control of their hijacked fishing boat in the Arabian Sea on Monday, more than 3,000 kilometres from Mumbai. The rescue ended a 48-hour operation off Somalia, where armed pirates had seized the Iranian vessel Azini. India’s Defence Ministry said no crew members were killed or injured. ^2,4

The operation began with an Indian Navy warship and a surveillance aircraft searching for Azini and tracking its movements. The Navy used measures it described as non-kinetic to contain the boat and stop it escaping. Marine commandos then boarded, while more commandos parachuted from an Indian Air Force C-17 transport plane. The Navy said it secured the vessel and stopped the pirate threat. Officials feared the pirates could use Azini as a “mother ship” to launch attacks on commercial shipping. ^2,8

The threat reached beyond the 20 rescued crew: pirates could use a hijacked boat to target merchant ships on busy regional routes. Somali piracy has again raised concern in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. The Associated Press reported pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April. Iran’s embassy in New Delhi thanked India’s armed forces and called the operation humanitarian assistance. But accounts differ on who was aboard: a Puntland maritime police official told the AP there had been 21 Iranian crew and two Somali guards. ^7,17

Reports did not explain the difference in the headcount. India’s ministry did not say whether its no-injury account covered everyone aboard or only the rescued crew. The Puntland official said 12 suspected pirates were disarmed and later came ashore with two Somali guards. Three people had minor injuries, though he did not identify them. The European Union’s Operation Atalanta confirmed the vessel’s liberation and closed the case on Monday. ^4,5