The hijacked fishing vessel was intercepted by the Indian Navy on March 29
New Delhi:
The Indian Navy responded to a pirate attack in the Arabian Sea and rescued an Iranian fishing vessel and its crew of 23 Pakistani nationals in an anti-piracy operation that lasted over 12 hours.
“Based on information about a possible piracy incident on board an Iranian fishing vessel ‘Al-Kambar 786’, late in the evening of March 28, two Indian Navy ships – mission deployed in the Arabian Sea for maritime security operations – were diverted to capture the hijacked intercept fishing vessel. ,” the Navy said in a statement.
“After more than twelve hours of intensive tactical coercive measures as per SOPs, the pirates on board the hijacked FV were forced to surrender. The crew comprising 23 Pakistani nationals were rescued safely,” it added.
Indian Navy teams then thoroughly cleaned the vessel and checked its seaworthiness to bring it to safety so that normal fishing operations could resume, the statement said.
#IndianNavy Responds to piracy attack in the #Arabian Sea.
Received input on a possible piracy incident on board the Iranian fishing vessel ‘Al-Kambar’ late in the evening #28Mar 24, about 90 nm southwest of Socotra.
Two Indian Navy ships, mission deployed in the #Arabian Sea for… pic.twitter.com/PdEZiCAu3t— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 29, 2024
On March 29, INS Sumedha intercepted the fishing vessel, or FV, Al-Kambar in the early hours after a distress call was broadcast and was subsequently joined by the guided missile frigate INS Trishul.
The ship was about 90 nautical miles southwest of Socotra – an island of Yemen in the Indian Ocean – when nine armed pirates reportedly boarded it.
Earlier this month, the Indian Navy carried out another daring operation and intercepted a ship, Ruen, which was sailing almost 2,600 km off the Indian coast when pirates attacked it. The Navy forced the pirate ship to stop through calibrated actions.
During the 40-hour rescue operation, INS Kolkata successfully forced all 35 pirates to surrender and ensured the safe evacuation of 17 crew members from the ship without any injuries.
In another operation, the Navy immediately responded to a distress call from the Gulf of Aden, where a merchant ship caught fire after being hit by a missile, and rescued 21 crew members, including an Indian.
“The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring maritime security in the region and the safety of seafarers irrespective of their nationality,” the report said.