Bharatiya Navy warship rescues Iranian-flagged fishing vessel hijacked by pirates

Bharatiya Navy rescued an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel from Somali pirates. The Bharatiya Navy warship INS Sumitra rescued the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel ‘MV Iman’ from the Somali pirates through its anti-piracy operations along the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden on Monday.

The Iranian fishing vessel, with around 17 crew members, was hijacked by Somali pirates. Navy said that its warship INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel and acted in accordance with the established SOPs to coerce the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the boat, and ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members along with the boat.

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“A swift response by the Navy’s mission-deployed warship ensures the safe release of the hijacked vessel and crew. INS Sumitra, on anti-piracy operations along the East coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, responded to a distress message regarding the hijacking of an Iranian-flagged Fishing Vessel (FV) Iman. The FV had been boarded by pirates, and the crew had been taken as hostages”.

“The pirates have been disarmed and asked to move towards Somalia. The INS Sumitra has now moved out of the area. The ALH Dhruv choppers on board the warship had encircled the hijacked vessel to issue warnings to the pirates on board it,” Defence officials said.

The Fishing Vessel was subsequently sanitized and released for onward transit, the Navy said.

Earlier in a rapid and effective response, the Bharatiya Navy’s mission-deployed guided missile destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam, on January 18 addressed a distress call from the Marshall Island-flagged MV Genco Picardy following a drone attack on the night of January 17. INS Visakhapatnam, currently on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, promptly acknowledged the distress call, intercepted the vessels at midnight on January 18, 2024 and provided immediate assistance.